Towards the Light
by ConvictedDreamer
Summary: AU. Naruto had disappeared one year ago and is presumed dead when the rest of Team 7 unexpectedly find him at the border. Unfortunately, not all is as it seems...INDEFINITE HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Summary: AU. Naruto had disappeared one year ago and is now presumed dead. Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi are on a mission patrolling the border between the Country of Fire and the Country of Rice Fields when a heavily injured blond stumbles into their campsite. Could this blond possibly be someone they know?

A/N: This is the first fanfiction I've ever written, so I would really appreciate it if you leave a review. English is not my first language, so if there is some grammar mistakes or the like, please forgive me. I've got some problems with my grammar at times. Hopefully it's not too much ^_^

Before you start reading this story, there's something to take notice of. That is, this story is AU. Therefore, the characters _might_ act a bit OOC at times, as their circumstances are a bit different than in the canon. I try to stick to canon, but there are certain things in canon that just wouldn't work in my story.

The most important difference in this story is that Orochimaru still has control over the Sound Village, but he had never left the Akatsuki. Therefore, Sasuke had never met Orochimaru and had never left Konoha. He is still a member of Team 7. The Uchiha massacre still happened, but Sasuke is no longer obsessed over revenge. And yes, Sasuke is more talkative towards his team members. They had become his family.

That's it! Now onto the story. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**Towards the Light**

_Cold. So cold._ The caressing wind enveloped him, smoothly stroking his spiky blond hair before disappearing into the distance. He shivered in the icy air, but he could not move from the spot. It had been so long: so long since he had felt the caress of the wind upon his skin; so long since he had seen the wan light of the winter moon; so long since he had heard the music of the night. It had been so long since he had been _free_.

_Freedom_. The word overwhelmed him. _Freedom? What is freedom? What does it mean?_ It had been so long since he had tasted it, he no longer remembered what the word meant. _A state of being free. What does it mean to be free? ...I don't know. I've forgotten..._

The wind blew stronger against him, biting at his blood-soaked figure. His blood dripped softly from his fingertips, falling into the gentle snow below, staining it crimson red. He didn't notice it. He never noticed it any more. It had been so long since he had felt _anything_ but pain. He was numb to it by now.

A lone wolf howled into the cold winter air. He started. _I have to get away. Before they catch me. Before I lose again._ He started moving his feet. Forward, slowly forward. His feet dragged in the snow, leaving two crimson trails behind him. His blood still fell onto the snow, leaving a clear trail for his pursuers. He didn't notice it: he _couldn't_ notice it. He could only focus on one thing: moving forward.

A colour flitted through his mind. _Green. Green? What is that? What does it mean?_ The wind pushed him along, causing him to stumble slightly over his feet. He faltered. _No. No time. Got to move forward. Before they catch me again. I have to warn them. _He stopped completely and cocked his head. _Them? Them who? Who is Them?_ He stared bemusedly at his feet, noticing the crimson spots at his feet. _So beautiful..._

_Run. Don't stop, run. Before they catch you. Before you lose again. _He could hear voices in the far distance. Fear flashed across his eyes and his feet started to move again. One step at a time. He no longer felt anything. He could only move forward: away from the voices; away from the darkness; away from the memories.

He frowned slightly, but didn't stop. _Memories? What are those? An act of remembrance. What does it mean to remember?_ The voices were drawing closer, along with the sound of dogs howling in the air. They were tracking him, he knew. But his mind could not register the fact.

The colour flitted through his mind again, this time accompanied by something else: a smile. His steps faltered again. _A smile? What does it mean?_ He stared distantly at the snow again, but kept moving forward. _Whose? _The thought flitted away as quickly as it came. A voice spoke far-off into his mind: _no time to wonder. Run. Before they catch you. Before you lose again._

His eyes stared at the empty air in front of him. _Lose? What does it mean to lose? To not win. To give up. To let them catch you again._ His eyes shot up to the road in front of him. _NO! _His eyes filled with determination and his steps became surer. _I will _not_ lose. I will _not _give up. I will _not_ let them catch me again._

The colour came again, this time clearer and set in something. A face. A face of a smiling girl with clear emerald eyes framed with soft pink hair. She looked at him, encouraging him to move on. He frowned slightly in confusion. _Who? Who is she? _He searched his mind, but he couldn't find the answer. _I can't remember. It had been too long. Too long since I..._

His eyelids drooped slightly. _Too long since I...what? Too long since what happened? _He stopped and stared at the bright stars._I can't remember._ The voice started again. _Run. Before they catch you. Before you lose again._

He started to move again, spurred on by the voice in his head. His breath started to come out in small ragged breaths, as if the air struggled to escape. His cerulean eyes darkened slightly, but still he moved forward. His skin had long since become a sick pallid colour, but he did not notice. His veins showed blue against his translucent skin, but still he moved forward. He could not stop.

The voices drew closer still. Still he moved forward, his ragged breaths appearing as a small cloud in front of him. His vision darkened still, but he did not stop; _could_ not stop. He trudged forward through the snow, the crimson spots behind him starting to grow less. He could feel his vision darken and lighten, being on the brink of consciousness.

A flickering light appeared in the distance, drawing him towards it. It drew him like he was a moth drawn towards the light: beautiful, but dangerous. His vision darkened still. _No more. I can't do this anymore._ His steps faltered ever so slightly. _NO! RUN! Before they catch you. Before you lose again! _

A smile flitted across his face. _It's alright. It no longer matters. Let them catch me._ He closed his eyes, but still he trudged forward. _I just don't care anymore..._

The same green-eyed face appeared in his mind again. A look of disappointment appeared in the emerald eyes. A soft and gentle, but still strong, feminine voice sounded in his mind. _"So you won't fight anymore? You'll just give up?"_ Tears filled the emerald eyes. _"You don't care about me anymore?"_

The words struck a chill into his heart. His breath grew even more ragged and his steps fastened slightly. His heart clenched with sadness as his eyes started to burn slightly. _Why? Why does it hurt so much?_

He moved closer to the light, no longer conscious of its dangers. It was a haven now, drawing him closer to safety. A thought flitted through his mind again._ You should not go there. It could be dangerous._ A single lucid thought flashed through his mind. _But it could be safe as well. Safe from my pursuers. I'd rather take the gamble, since I _know_ that there are danger behind me. It could be safe in the light. Safer than the darkness, anyway. _The voice in his head was silent, but the voices behind him intensified. He knew he could not last much longer on his own. He was too weak from the cold and loss of blood.

The light slowly drew closer. With each small step he gave, the light came closer a little bit. His vision darkened suddenly and he stumbled over his dragging feet, falling with a crash into the snow. He lay there for a few seconds, unable to get up again. But still he moved forward. He crawled on his arms towards the light blinking coyly at him. He felt his body weaken exponentially with each movement, but still he endured. _I won't give up. Not now. Not so close to safety._

The light was closer now, but still felt like it was too far away. His pursuers were almost upon him: he could hear their steps and shouts clearly now. Still he crawled forward. His lips muttered soundless words: silent prayers to who knows what. His breathing grew even more struggled; every breath he drew bestowed agony upon his lungs. But still he did not give up: the emerald eyes spurred him on, calling him towards her.

Pain filled his entire body, but desperately he moved on. The light was no longer just a haven to him: it was a place where the green-eyed angel would be. She would be there, allowing him to finally rest.

A thought flashed across his mind, but disappeared before he could make sense of it. There was something he had to do, but he didn't know what. He mind shut out every other thought; just the thought to keep moving dominated his mind. He used a tree to get upright again, never stopping for more than a few seconds. Safety was so close...

Suddenly the light was upon him. He stumbled slightly and blinked confusedly at the flickering firelight now shining its light upon him. He stared bemusedly at the small campfire for a few seconds, unable to comprehend that he had reached his goal. Then, relief flooded through his body and his own cerulean eyes fluttered close when he finally allowed himself to rest, slipping into sweet unconsciousness. He never noticed the three figures surrounding the campfire who stared at him with eyes wide with shock.

A/N: So, what do you think? Do you like it? Does it have potential? Is it worth continuing? As of this moment, I am unsure whether I should make it multi-chaptered or keep it an oneshot. I'm leaning towards multi-chaptered, but that depends on your responses :P


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you _so_ much for your reviews! I've decided to continue with this story (obviously), so here is the next chapter. This is Sakura's POV, so it's written a bit differently. However, I would still like to hear your comments on this story. The chapters will alternate between Sakura's POV and Naruto's, since a few of you have asked for Sakura's POV ^_^.

Regarding the honorifics, I try to apply it where necessary, but that does not mean it will always be there. Team Seven don't use honorifics with each other, since (as I understand it) the lack of honorifics after a person's name indicates a very close relationship with that person. Since Team Seven are like family, they just call each other by name. They will still call Kakashi Kakashi-sensei, but when they talk to each other, they drop the honorifics. If I'm mistaken by this, please correct me! I will also mostly use the English version of certain words, like forehead protector instead of hitai-ate and Country of Fire instead of Hi no Kuni, simply because I'm more familiar with the English words. This does not mean I've watched the dubbed version, so luckily I've been spared the constant "Believe it!"'s from the dubbed version (I've experienced it in a game though *shudder*). 'Dattebayo' is _so_ much better than 'Believe it!'

Anyway, back to the story.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, never have, never will.

**Edit 13/09/2010: **Changed their age to 17 instead of 19 in order to let the plot flow more realistically.

**Edit 07/12****/2010:** Changed some minor things that had been pointed out to me and added a few words here or there just to make the chapter read easier.

**Towards the Light**

**Chapter 2**

Sakura stared scowling into the flickering firelight, lost in her own thoughts. It had been a long and unproductive day, patrolling the border between the Country of Fire and the Country of Rice Fields. They had found nothing (excluding the occasional deer or squirrel), so the day had been pretty monotonous. She knew it was a case of 'no news is good news', but seriously! Is it even possible for a day to be more boring? A scowl appeared between her brows. She was tired of the monotony; she was tired of the wilderness and she was tired of the dirt! They had been stuck in the wilderness for over two weeks and her irritation was starting to reach levels she had previously thought impossible. She understood the necessity, but she was still not impressed. Still, they _had_ been the only team available since the other teams were all out on different missions. If it wasn't for the fact that they were one team member short, they too would have gotten a different mission. But no, because of that deficiency they were stuck with border patrol duty!

Her scowling brow levelled out a bit when she thought of their missing teammate. He had always been the light in their days, with his smiling face and determined attitude. Whenever one of them had felt down, he had been the one to cheer them up. He had been their ray of sunlight and now, that ray was gone.

Her eyes narrowed in sadness. Over the years the two of them had grown closer than mere friends. Well, after she had stopped chasing after Sasuke's attention. She had realised that her feelings towards the Uchiha had never been anything but childish affection. Naruto's bright attitude had drawn her stronger than Sasuke's dark one ever did. Once she realised that, her relationship with Naruto had progressed with leaps and bounds. The time they had been together was one of the best times of her life.

She closed her eyes and sighed. If only he hadn't disappeared. Her mind still refused to believe he was dead, even though the Hokage's search parties had long since been called off. After six months of continuous searching with no results, the Hokage had been forced to call them off. Her team had never been the same after that. Sasuke had reverted back to the silent, brooding teen he had once been while Kakashi had started to request harder missions when he went on solo missions. She herself had started to go aimlessly through her life; something that disturbed her friends greatly. She still believed that he was alive, but with each passing day her hopes grew smaller and her fears bigger.

The sound of a step on the ground beside her alerted her to someone's presence. She looked up and saw Sasuke standing beside her, offering her a canteen with water. She took it gratefully and moved a bit to the side, creating space for Sasuke to sit down. He took the offered seat and they sat in content silence for a few minutes.

Sakura saw Sasuke look at her from the corner of her eye. After being teammates with him for over five years, she had learned how to read the almost non-existent signs of emotion in the Uchiha's eyes. Right now, he was looking at her with a questioning note in his eyes, but it changed into a ...disappointed look? She wasn't sure about the meaning of _that _look.

"You're thinking about _him_ again," he stated neutrally. Sakura flushed slightly at his words. He had read the emotions on her face too well.

"So what? Am I not allowed to?" she retorted fiercely. Sasuke turned his gaze to the area beyond the fire.

"I didn't say that," he stated neutrally. Sakura scowled at his words, but remained silent. They sat in silence again, both scanning their peaceful surroundings, more out of habit that any real need.

Sakura felt her thoughts turn to Naruto again. She desperately wanted to believe that he was still alive, but her subconsciousness kept denying it. _If he is still alive, then where is he? Why hasn't he returned? Why has there been no news about him?_ Despite herself, she felt her steadfast belief waver. Her mind kept coming up with reasons why he couldn't possibly be alive.

She bit her lip slightly. "Sasuke?" she addressed him softly. He didn't answer, but she knew she had his attention. She looked down into the fire. "Do you think he's still alive?" she asked insecurely. He remained silent as he pondered the question.

"I don't know," he finally replied after a few minutes of silence. "I want him to be, but I can't see how it's possible. Fighting alone against two Akatsuki while trying to protect the others on the mission..." He shook his head. "I just can't see how it can be done."

Sakura looked up at the stars in the clear winter sky. Sasuke's words only reinforced her fears. She sighed dejectedly and a sad smile slipped onto her face.

"I guess you're right," she said softly. Sasuke looked concernedly at her before he too turned his eyes skyward.

"But I could be wrong. After all, he is our number one unpredictable ninja," he told her when he noticed her dejected attitude. Sakura felt her heart lift again, if only a bit. A small, grateful smile slipped onto her face.

"That's right. He won't go down without a fight," she said nostalgically. Another crunch behind her alerted her to Kakashi's presence.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his one visible eye turned upwards in a smile.

"Nothing much," Sakura replied while Sasuke shrugged. "We were talking about Naruto." The smile disappeared slowly from Kakashi's face, before he gave them a fake smile again.

"I see. Well, as long as you don't forget to stay aware of your surroundings, I guess that's alright." Sakura felt the annoyance rise in her. _Of course we know that! What rank does he think we are? Academy students?_ She saw him throw an amused glance at her and opened her mouth to retort when a sudden sound in the distance alerted them of possible trouble. Kakashi's eye narrowed as he focused on the sound. They all sat in tense silence, trying to analyze the sound and whether it presented a threat to them or not. Kakashi's tense stance relaxed a bit.

"Sounds like somebody down in the Country of Rice Fields is trying to track someone. No idea who, though. It's far off, so they should pass us by. However, there's no proof of that, so stay on guard." Sakura nodded seriously and Sasuke grunted noncommittally. They waited a few more minutes until it became clear that the trackers were coming closer. Kakashi sighed in exasperation.

"Ready yourselves for battle and wait, but don't attack first. There's still a chance that they will pass us by," he said calmly. Sakura pulled on her black gloves and Sasuke assumed a battle-ready stance, activating his Sharingan. They all stood staring into the darkness, ready for battle at the slightest sign of trouble. A dry stick cracking in the darkness fixed their attention on the direction the sound came from. Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Somebody is coming closer. The person looks injured," he said while still staring into the darkness. His eyesight was better than the other members of his team's, thus allowing him to see things further off than the rest of them. Sakura fixed her eyes in the direction he was looking and could also vaguely discern a figure in the darkness, steadily approaching them. Kakashi stepped forward.

"Identify yourself," he ordered the figure, but the figure didn't reply. A frown appeared on Kakashi's face. "Did you not hear me? Identify yourself, or we will be compelled to use force on you," he tried again, but the person still didn't reply and just continued forward.

Sakura heard Sasuke gasp slightly beside her. She gave him a questioning glance, but noticed that he was staring at the approaching person with shock on his face.

"It can't be..." he said with a disbelieving expression on his face. It was the most emotion she had seen on his face in an entire year.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" she asked the Sharigan wielder. He didn't answer, but Sakura didn't notice for in that moment the approaching figure stepped into their campsite and was illuminated by the flickering light from their campfire. The light illuminated features she never really expected to see again. Her eyes widened and she stared at the features with complete and utter disbelief.

"Naruto?" she asked, her voice thick with disbelief. The features were too familiar for it to be somebody else - the blond hair, the strong jaw line, the slightly slanted cerulean eyes and especially the three whisker-like stripes on each cheek; it _had_ to be him. She started to step forward, but Kakashi's hand on her shoulder prevented her. She looked questioningly at him, her eyes asking him why he was stopping her. He merely shook his head at her.

"It could be someone else," he told her softly. She wanted to deny it, but she could not deny the truth in his words. She clenched her fists, but stopped moving. All of them stared cautiously at the figure who had stopped by the fire and was staring bemusedly at it. Kakashi started to demand his identity again, but before he could finish his sentence the figure's eyelids fluttered close and he started to pitch forward towards the fire. He would have fallen face first into the fire had Kakashi not caught him. He lowered the blood-soaked figure gently to the ground.

Sakura rushed towards the two of them, the medic in her taking over. She sank to her knees and activated her medical jutsu, examining the blood-soaked figure in front of her. He was covered in wounds and injuries, but the most worrisomeinjury was the one on his abdomen. '_It's in the same place where the seal that keeps the Kyuubi in check is supposed to be,'_ Sakura thought distantly while trying to heal the gaping wound. She noticed that Kakashi didn't miss that significance either. The longer she healed him, the surer she got. There were residues of demonic chakra in his blood: chakra she was certain once belonged to the Kyuubi. She looked at Kakashi.

"It's him. I'm certain of it," she told him with certainty in her voice. He looked neutrally at her for a few seconds before nodding slightly, mutely accepting her confirmation.

Sasuke approached the two figures surrounding the blond. "Are you sure?" At her terse nod, he continued. "Then why is he in this condition? Why isn't the Kyuubi healing his wounds?" Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I don't know. I can only find residues of the Kyuubi's chakra. Maybe the seal isn't working correctly anymore." Kakashi stared at the bloody seal on Naruto's stomach.

"Maybe," he agreed with Sakura. "Or maybe the Kyuubi is no longer sealed within him," he said, still regarding the still blonde. Sakura and Sasuke both stared at Kakashi.

"Then why isn't he dead?" Sasuke asked bluntly. Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't know. I don't have all the answers," he said neutrally. Sakura placed her hand on the bloodied blonde's forehead, but quickly snatched it back.

"If he doesn't get proper medical attention soon, he will be," she pointed out. "I can't do anything else out here. He's lost too much blood," she said, focusing green chakra into his burning brow, trying to lower his fever. Kakashi frowned slightly at her words.

"We are getting relieved from duty tomorrow morning sometime. Will you be able to keep him alive until then?" he asked the pinkette. She pursed her lips as she contemplated the question.

"I don't know. It will be pushing it. I may be able to keep him alive until then, but I don't know if he will be able to reach the village then," she finally responded. "He's not in a very good condition, to state it lightly." Kakashi looked at the blonde lying on the ground before addressing Sakura again.

"Do whatever you can. I will send a message to our relief and the village. If our relief manage to come sooner, his chances might increase, right?" he asked her.

She nodded. "If we manage to set off towards the village tonight, his chances will be much higher," she replied. Kakashi took out some writing utensils and Sakura turned her attention back towards the bloodied blonde. His breathing was ragged and he was clearly in pain. She felt her heart clench at the sight; she could not bear seeing him in so much pain. She felt Sasuke's presence settle beside her.

"How can you be so sure that it's really him?" he softly asked. She remained silent for a minute while she pondered his question.

"Everything points towards it. The Kyuubi's chakra is very prominent in his body, even if it is only residues of it. Normal people can't handle even a bit of demonic chakra and as I said, he still has some in his body," she finally replied. She heard Sasuke grunt his acceptance of her answer.

Kakashi approached them again. "I send Pakkun with the message," he told the two of them. "If we're lucky, our relief might come tonight," he said in a neutral tone. Sakura looked at him, her eyes unreadable. "However, the danger is not over yet. The trackers from the Country of Rice Fields were most likely tracking _him_," Kakashi continued and indicated with his head towards the blonde. "We'll have to handle it ourselves." Sakura felt her heart clench at the thought of losing Naruto _again_, especially now that they had finally found him. She looked at Kakashi with determination in her eyes.

"We can't allow them to get to him. We have to protect him," she said determinately. Kakashi's eye flickered between her and the blonde lying on the ground before focusing on her again.

"You're right. Seeing as he can't do anything to protect himself right now, we will have to keep his pursuers away for him," he said and turned his head away from them, but not before Sakura saw the doubt in his eyes. She frowned at the sight, but shrugged it off as she focused on the coming battle, the sounds of the pursuers closing in becoming clearer with each passing second.

_~...~_

A/N: So, what do you think? Is there anything you liked? Is there anything you didn't like? Is it realistic? I'm a huge sucker for realism, so I would like my stories to be as realistic as possible. If there's something that you feel is just _too_ unrealistic, please tell me! Also, please point out to me the places where my grammar is messed up!

Please review! I would like to improve my writing, so if there's anything you feel I can improve on, please let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you to everyone who reviewed (or placed on alert or fav). It's because of people like you that I try to update regularly! Here is the new chapter of Towards the Light.

I stated in the previous chapter that I will use the English version for most words, but I will however use the Japanese words for the Villages (Konoha instead of Leaf, Oto instead of Sound, etc.). Blame it on fanfiction if you want to -_-, but I will never be able to think of the Villages as Rock instead of Iwa or Clouds instead of Kumo and so on. I'm too used to the Japanese version now.

As usual, please let me know what you think about it!

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Edit 07/12/2010:** Changed some minor errors and added some words to make the chapter read easier.

**Towards the Light**

Chapter 3

The air was silent. All of the normal sounds of the night had ceased; it was as if the very forest itself was holding its breath in anticipation for the coming battle. The wind had stopped blowing and there was nothing to disturb the tense atmosphere surrounding Team Kakashi. Sakura held her breath almost reflexively, her entire body as tense as a coiled spring, begging for release. The sounds of the pursuers were steadily closing in; each second feeling like an eternity for the waiting members of Team Kakashi.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. "They're here," he told Kakashi and Sakura. Sakura strained her eyes, peering into the darkness for any signs of the trackers. The darkness was absolute: there was no way she could see them. She could, however, feel the presences of the trackers: there were two of them; one with chakra levels about low-chuunin level or so and the other one with jounin level chakra. The two presences stopped moving, hovering just outside their sight. Kakashi stepped forward.

"Come out," he demanded at the trackers. "We know you are there." There was a faint whisper of voices: it was quite obvious that the trackers were conferring with each other about their options. It was understandable: since they were trackers, their skills most likely laid more in tracking than fighting. From the uncertain tone that was faintly discernable in the faint voices, it appeared that they hadn't expected resistance either.

The voices suddenly stopped and silence reigned again in the forest. Sakura felt the impatience rise in her as she waited for something to change; _anything_. The silence was broken as a crunch on the snow alerted them that someone was coming closer. The darkness parted slightly for the figure approaching them and swirled closed behind him again, swallowing everything behind him in darkness.

The figure stopped just outside their camp, trying to assume a relaxed stance. Sakura could see, however, that he was definitely _not_ relaxed. His muscles were tense beneath his skin, ready to spring into action. He was keeping his right hand close to the kunai holster on his leg, ready to grab a weapon if necessary. He stayed just outside their reach (not that they couldn't reach him in a second), looking at them with undisguised hatred in his eyes. His Oto forehead-protector was firmly tied around his forehead, proudly displaying the village he belonged to. He continued to glare at Team Kakashi, glancing only for a split second at the blonde laying motionlessly on the floor.

"Give him to us," he demanded bluntly.

Sakura felt the indignance rise in her. _How dare he? _She felt a nerve twitch in her forehead. He was sorely mistaken if he really expected them to hand the blonde over to him just like that. Kakashi merely lifted his eyebrow(s) at the chuunin.

"Why should we?" he asked disinterestedly. He looked relaxed, but Sakura knew that looks could be deceiving; especially since it was Kakashi they were talking about. The chuunin still glared at him, the hatred clearly discernable in his glare.

"Because he belongs to us," he spat out with venom in his voice. It was clear to the observers that he would rather kill them all than talk to them, but he knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against them in battle.

Sakura felt the fury rise in her at his words.

"What do you mean he belongs to you? He doesn't belong to anyone!" she declared in a voice filled with unrepressed fury. She was furious at the enemy for daring to imply that the blonde was less than human. After all, humans did _not_ belong to others. She clenched her fists furiously, wishing to hit the chuunin all the way to the moon. The chuunin turned his attention to the fuming pinkette.

"Why should I tell _you_, Konoha scum?" he spat at her, the hatred in his voice intensifying. Sakura's eyes flashed in anger and she started to step forward, but Kakashi's hand on her shoulder prevented her. He leaned down slightly to her level.

"He's trying to provoke you: provoked people don't think clearly," he murmured softly into her ear, before straightening and turning his attention to the chuunin again.

"If you don't want to turn into a corpse, you should tell us," he stated pleasantly to the chuunin. The chuunin's eyes narrowed and his hand started to creep down towards his kunai holster, but there was suddenly a brief burst of wind and the other tracker stood next to the chuunin, his hand firmly clasping his wrist.

"Don't," the newcomer ordered the chuunin who was staring angrily at him. The chuunin scowled at the jounin and jerked his wrist away, scowling at the ground. The jounin turned his gaze to the Konoha-nin before it lingered on the bloodied blonde, like the chuunin's had. Dismissal flickered across his eyes and he turned his gaze back to the chuunin.

"We're going," he told the chuunin unceremoniously. "Let them keep their useless trash. We have no need for broken goods," he stated cryptically and the two of them disappeared in a whirl of dust and snow, leaving the Konoha-nin to stare after them in confusion. Sakura started to move forward, not willing to let the two shinobi just go like that, but Kakashi's hand on her shoulder prevented her again. He stared thoughtfully into the distance where they had disappeared before he turned his gaze on Sakura.

"Let them go. We have more important things to focus on," he told her softly.

Sakura frowned at Kakashi, but the Oto jounin's words suddenly came back to her. _"We have no need for broken goods." _Her frown deepened slightly. _What did he mean, 'broken goods'? Did he refer to Naruto's injuries or did he refer to something else?_ She reluctantly turned her gaze back to the bloodied blonde, whose breathing was steadily growing more and more ragged. She turned her full attention on him again, trying to keep his condition stable. It was not looking good: it was as if his entire body was fighting her attempts to heal him. The only thing left to do was hope that their relief would come soon. Of course, there was no way of determining _when_ or even _if _they would come. Sakura sighed slightly. She only hoped it would not be too late.

They sat in silence for some time: Sakura focusing on the blonde and Kakashi and Sasuke focusing on their surroundings. It wasn't until an hour later when their attention was diverted again.

Another faint crack sounded in the forest surrounding them and all three of them were immediately at attention again. They all tensed when they saw two figures approaching them from the darkness. Sakura readied herself for battle again, but sighed in relief and relaxed slightly when the darkness parted to reveal two familiar figures: Neji and Tenten.

Neji turned towards Kakashi. "We are your relief. We were resting for the night when your summon came up to us and told us that you needed to get back to the village urgently and urged us to relieve you tonight, if possible. He didn't say what the problem is, however. Guy-sensei and Lee are currently investigating an irregularity and will rejoin us at a later stage," he told Kakashi respectfully while Tenten surveyed the area. Her eyes widened noticeably when she spotted the blonde still lying motionlessly on the ground.

"Naruto-kun?" she asked disbelievingly. Neji's eyes shot towards her and he followed her gaze until it also rested upon the motionless blonde. His eyes widened and he glanced at Kakashi, the question in his eyes undisguised. Kakashi nodded slightly to the Hyuuga.

"We think so. Do you think you could take a look at his chakra-system?" he asked the Hyuuga jounin softly. Neji nodded and activated his Byakugan, focusing on the blonde. He frowned slightly and turned back to Kakashi.

"His chakra-system is the same as Naruto's, but the feel of the chakra is a bit different. It feels less...malignant, if that makes sense," he told Kakashi, who merely turned his attention back to the blonde.

"It does. It will confirm a theory of ours. We will be able to confirm his identity in Konoha," Kakashi told the Hyuuga. Neji nodded pensively.

"That would make sense why your summon asked us to hurry," he stated understandingly. Sakura interrupted them.

"That, and the fact that if he doesn't get proper medical attention soon, he will not live," she told them quite seriously. Neji looked at the blonde again.

"Then do not let us stop you. We will take over here," he told Team Kakashi. Sakura's eyes softened slightly as they relayed a silent message to him: 'thank you'. He nodded slightly, indicating that he received the message. They quickly broke their camp and set off towards Konoha; Sakura knowing that each minute they wasted now would be lessening the chances of their once-lost teammate.

_~...~_

A/N: So, what do you think? I'm not really 100% satisfied with the ending, but it's the best I could come up with. If my style is a bit different, please forgive me as I'm still trying to find my true style. As I said in the first chapter, this is my first fanfiction so I'm still playing around with styles, trying to find the one that fits me the best. Please tell me if there's anything you didn't like and please tell me if it is still realistic! As I stated in the previous chapter, realism is a huge issue for me. Also, please point out any grammar or story mistakes! Till next time!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Yay! A new chapter! This chapter will once again be in Naruto's POV, since the story is actually about him, not Sakura. I write Sakura's POV as well, but only because I wouldn't be able to explain certain things without her. The story also focuses on the bonds between people - the bond between her and Naruto being the most important one. That is why you get to see her POV. It's starting to look as if the majority will be in her POV, however.

I've noticed some of you asking me about the timeframe of this story. It plays off when the rookie 9 are all about 19 years old, as I tried to state in the 2nd chapter ("after being teammates with him for over seven years"). Since Sasuke never met Orochimaru, he never deflected from the village and thus he had been in Team 7 (or Team Kakashi, take your pick) from the beginning. However, certain events still happened (like the Third still died, Tsunade still became Hokage and Gaara was still kidnapped by the Akatsuki), but Sasuke gave up his quest for vengeance (I know it's OOC for him, but his quest for revenge would be bothersome in this story, so I had it removed :P).

I hope this clarifies some issues you might've had. If you still have questions about the setting of this story, please don't hesitate to ask!

Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**EDIT 13/09/2010:** I changed their ages to 17 instead of 19 in order to let the plot flow more realistically.

**Towards the Light**

Chapter 4

_Light. So light._ His body felt as if it was suspended in air, floating in nothingness. His mind could not comprehend anything else: it was as if a dark void had claimed it, unwilling to let it go. All thought had ceased and only the sense of feeling suspended remained. It was all that mattered. Nothing else was important anymore.

Sweet music filled his hearing. The sound was like a harp: gentle, but bittersweet. An image flashed through his mind, but it disappeared before he could see it clearly. It was just a flash – there for an instant, but forgotten the next. The dark void still claimed everything. Nothing else mattered. He was finally getting the rest he deserved.

A confused thought flashed through his muddled mind. _Rest? Deserved rest? Why__ do I deserve rest__?_ Something tugged at his mind again: a memory._ A memory of.._._what? What was the memory about?_ He felt an indescribable sadness wash over him. The feeling confused him. _Why? Why does it matter? Why does it hurt to forget?_ He struggled to focus his thoughts, but try as he could; he was unable to focus on anything. His thoughts refused to stay still and in his control: they flitted around in his mind like they were desperately trying to escape; like they were mice trying to escape from a hungry owl.

_White. Cold. Pain. Red mixing into the white. Hauntingly beautiful...crimson spots staring callously from the slightly shimmering snow..._The images flashed through his mind, repeating itself continuously. _A memory?_ The same images kept repeating over and over in his head. _What does it...?_

The ominous void laughed at his attempts to stay conscious: it would not let him have a peaceful respite from his feverish thoughts. The void seemed to revel in haunting him with painful images: _pain blood fear hatred agony __ithurts ithurts ITHURTS__!_

He felt his breathing grow ragged and his heart beating furiously in his chest with the memories the void instigated. His eyes flickered restlessly beneath his closed eyelids as his feverish mind tried to make sense of the images. Crimson flashes flashed just behind his closed eyelids, threatening to drown him in the never-ending memories...

_STOP IT! Pleasepleasepleaseplease I don't want to remember make it stop MAKE IT STOP __**MAKE IT STOP! **_He could feel his eyes burning with moisture behind his eyelids, threatening to escape its confinement. It was hurting him; the coldness of the few drops that escaped their confinement was hauntingly cool against his hot skin, triggering memories of a different coldness upon his skin: a hand gently stroking him brow...

_Green._ The colour suddenly flashed through his mind, triggering an image. An angel. A green-eyed angel. _No...not that. She is not an angel. Then, what? What does it mean? Who is she?_ His mind started to diverge away from the image. A single thought flashed through his mind before he forgot the image. _Why is she so beautiful?_

The soft music filled his hearing again. The sound was still bittersweet, bringing an ache into his heart. The music was suddenly interrupted by another slightly deeper, but still sweet..._instrument? No...that's not it. Not an instrument._ The original bittersweet music sounded again, bearing a _...questioning note?_ A voice appeared from the depths of his mind. _Not music. A voice. Somebody is talking. _

His bemused thoughts struggled to make sense of the confusing words. _Talking? A voice? Whose?_ His mind tried to focus on the bittersweet music that had started again. _Ah, he's right. It is a voice. The voice of...an angel?_ Again his mind denied it. _No, not that. She is different..._

His thoughts swirled around again. _Different? Why? Why is she different? Why does her voice make my heart...__ Make __my heart? Make my heart what?_ He felt the voice in the depths of his mind desperately trying to tell him something. It was yelling, pleading, _begging_, but he could not understand it. He could not understand the meaning of the words being spoken. It was important, though. He was certain of that.

The bittersweet voice broke his musings again. _Why? Why does it sound so...familiar?_He focused on the sweet voice. An image flickered across his mind: an image of emerald eyes set in a face framed with soft pink hair. His mind struggled again in confusion to make sense of the seemingly random images. _Who...? The green-eyed angel. She helped you, remember? Back then, in the snow..._

His mind desperately tried to remember. _Back then? When is then? What happened back then? _An image flashed through his mind: an image of snow and the desperate force driving him forward. He relaxed very slightly at the sight of the images. _Ah, I remember. I had to move forward. Before they caught me. Before I lost again. _His mind started to drift away again from any focused thoughts. _Why did I have to run? Why did they try to catch me? _The word 'freedom' flashed through his mind. His thoughts flitted around, trying to focus on the word. _Because I've regained my freedom?_

Confusion reigned in his mind. _Regained my freedom? Have I ever lost my freedom? Have I ever been free? _He could feel his mind struggling, trying to order his scattered thoughts, but he could not focus on it. The ominous void that still threatened to claim him prevented him from focusing on anything. The voice in the recess of his mind was still trying to talk to him, but he was unable to understand the words.

Something softly landed on his brow. The object was cool, almost icy against his burning forehead. He flinched away from the object, trying to get away from the danger it presented. The voice in his mind rebuked him, telling him that it didn't present any danger. He felt his body yearn for the coldness, but he could not will his body to relax. _What is it? What's touching me?_ Images flashed through his head again - horrible images that felt far too real. Pain. Blood. Fear. A feeling of hopelessness. Agony. A bloodied knife. He felt his body react violently towards the images. His body tensed and his breathing grew even more harried as adrenaline flushed his system.

The object on his brow retreated. His body yearned for the cold relief it provided from the heat, but his mind revelled in its disappearance. _It can't hurt me if it doesn't touch me._ The voice in his mind scoffed at him, telling him to stop reasoning like a child. His body relaxed a little, but tensed again when the sweet voice sounded again. He could discern the individual words, but he could not make his mind comprehend the meanings.

The voice hidden in his psyche struggled in his mind, trying to make him listen. _Listen? Listen to what? What does it want?_ The voice stopped struggling when it realised he was listening. _Focus on her voice. She can help you. You can trust her. _His brow knitted into a frown in confusion. _Trust her? How can I trust her? How can I not doubt her? _The internal voice responded to the questions with statements that only raised more questions. _Remember. Remember who she is. Remember who _you_ are._

The cool object returned to his brow, but this time it was accompanied by the sweet voice. _The angel's voice. _Her_ voice. Sakura's voice._ His thoughts stopped at the name. _Sakura?__Who is that? How did I know the name? _He focused on her voice, trying to make his mind understand the words, but the void still scoffed at his attempts to make sense of them. He still could not understand the meaning of her words.

The object gently stroked his brow. _What's touching me? A hand. She's stroking your brow._ His mind focused briefly on the hand. _Why?_ The answer appeared in his mind, but disappeared before he could understand it. The void kept trying to claim him, but he refused to give in. He didn't know why he had to hold on. The only thing that mattered was to not give up.

The bittersweet voice broke through his scattered thoughts. "Naruto? Naruto, can you hear me?" Her words sent his thoughts flitting into a different direction. _Naruto? Who is that? Is that...me? I don't understand...is she talking to me?_ The void laughed at him, playing tricks on his mind. It mocked him for trying to defy its mighty power. His eyes flickered again beneath his eyelids, trying to get his thoughts to run away from the threatening void.

"Naruto, it's alright. You can sleep. Nothing will happen. You are safe here," the sweet voice broke through his confused thoughts again, speaking soothingly. _Safe?_ He felt exuberant at the sound of her voice. _You can trust her. _A strange peace enveloped his mind when the void came to claim him again, but strangely enough, the void no longer seemed ominous. Instead it seemed peaceful, gently gesturing him to relax and let go of his troublesome thoughts. He yielded to its sweet embrace and fell into a deep healing sleep.

_~...~_

A/N: Well, that's the chapter! I know it's rather short, but it's the best I could do to express what I wanted in the chapter. I'll try to make the next chapters longer, but I can't promise anything, since I'm currently busy writing semestertests at the university. Also, please remember to review! Even one word reviews are fine for me, like good or interesting or keep it going: it proves to me that people are still reading my story and liking it and that's what's motivating me to continue writing it. And if you don't like my story, please tell me what it is you don't like. I'm a very open-minded person: I won't hate somebody for saying something I don't like.

Just to clarify something, the voice in Naruto's mind is _not_ the Kyuubi. It's the part of his subconciousness that's lucid and trying to fight against his delirium.

Till next time!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all your reviews and support! Here is the new chapter of Towards the Light. As I said in the previous chapter, I tried to make it a bit longer. It's not much longer, only about 1000 words more, but at least it's something, so enjoy it!

**Warning:** There are a few sentences that would be classified as a spoiler for the manga (chapter 498 and onward). I will indicate where, but read at your own risk.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

Enjoy the chapter!

**Towards the Light**

Chapter 5

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

The sound reverberated through the white room, softly emphasising that the heart of the blonde laying immobile on the white hospital bed was still beating. There were a few other sounds in the room as well, all of them originating from the various machines attached to the blonde, loyally doing their job in keeping him alive.

Sakura quietly sat in the room by the bed of the patient, absently looking at the papers on her lap: papers that confirmed that the blonde laying in the bed was indeed their missing teammate. She had been certain that it was him when she had first administered emergency treatment, but it was still a relief to her to have it confirmed. They had brought him to the hospital just in time and although Tsunade had been shocked to see him, she did not let it affect her. It had been touch and go and they had almost lost him, but they had luckily still managed to save his life. They had also managed to confirm that the Kyuubi was no longer sealed in him. Sakura had thought that Tsunade would be baffled by how he could still be alive (since she was), but Tsunade had just replied that it had happened before **(SPOILER) **with Kushina, Naruto's mother, who was the previous Kyuubi Jinchuuriki **(SPOILER END)**. Apparently it was one of the strengths of the Uzumaki clan. He was still in a sensitive condition, but his life was no longer in danger.

Sakura lifted her gaze from the papers and looked at her teammate. He was still completely immobile, giving no indication of when he might wake up. She took comfort in the soft beeping of the heart monitor, knowing that he was still alive. After being convinced that he had died a year ago, it was a relief to hear his heart beating, even if it was beating weaker than she was used to.

A knock sounded on the door and it opened to reveal the face of Sakura's shishou. Tsunade gently looked at the immobile blonde lying on the bed and took a seat in the chair next to Sakura.

"How is he?" she asked the pinkette. Sakura shrugged with her shoulders; they were slightly tense from the position she had been sitting in. She continued to look at the blonde, her eyes fixed upon his closed ones. She desperately wanted him to open his eyes, but she knew that it would take time. It was better for him to rest right now.

She closed her eyes. "He's still the same," she answered Tsunade's question.

Tsunade didn't remove her eyes from the blonde. "At least he's not worse," she replied softly. Sakura agreed softly, her attention still on her teammate, but she turned her attention back to her shishou when Tsunade addressed her again.

"Sakura, I want you to tell me what happened. How did you find him?" Tsunade's eyes were full of concern for the blonde. It had been a huge shock for her to be called to the hospital, only to be confronted by the visage of the bloodied body of the person she had been convinced she would never see again. She had not asked any questions back then, focusing only on saving his life, but she was desperately seeking the answers now.

Sakura took a deep breath and started to tell Tsunade the events of the day they had found him. She told her everything: from the trackers they had heard in the Land of Rice Fields to the short confrontation they had had with the trackers and their cryptic words and finally the arrival of Neji and Tenten.

"-Neji-san told us that we shouldn't let him stop us and so we set of towards the village," she relayed the events. Tsunade sat in silence the entire time, patiently listening. She had felt the anger rise in her when Sakura mentioned the Oto jounin's words, but she didn't interrupt her apprentice.

Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed softly. Sakura continued speaking. "The entire event raises too many questions. Why were they pursuing him? Why was he so injured? Why did that chuunin insist that he belonged to them and why did that jounin call him 'broken goods?" It just doesn't make sense!" she exclaimed, frustrated.

Tsunade opened her eyes again. "I guess we will have to wait for him to wake up before we will be able to get our answers," she told the pinkette. Sakura clenched her fists and hung her head in frustration.

The machines attached to the blonde suddenly went haywire as his breathing grew struggled and the heart monitor indicated that his heart was beating furiously. Sakura and Tsunade both jumped into action, examining the blonde. Tsunade called for painkillers and sedatives as they struggled to get him stabilized. His eyes flickered wildly beneath his closed eyelids and a few tears leaked out from the corners of his eyes, much to the two medics' shock. Tsunade felt her heart clench slightly when she understood the signs - he was having a nightmare.

The nurses arrived with the medicine and Tsunade quickly administered the sedatives. The sedatives started to work almost immediately and he calmed down slightly, his breathing almost returning to normal.

"What happened?" Sakura asked softly when he had returned to immobility.

Tsunade sat in the chair again. "A nightmare. It's not uncommon for people who are recovering, especially if they had had bad experiences," she answered Sakura's question before frowning slightly. "I wonder if it was about a memory?" she muttered softly to herself.

Sakura felt her heart clench slightly at the words. "I hope it wasn't," she replied softly. "There've been too many bad experiences in his life already." Tsunade sighed and nodded at Sakura's words, indicating that the feeling was mutual.

Sakura clenched her fists angrily. "Why? Why does everything happen to _him_? Why can't he just have a normal life? Just because the Kyuubi was sealed in him is no reason for him to lead the life he did!" she exclaimed and angrily turned her gaze to the floor. "He doesn't deserve it."

Tsunade's gaze saddened. "No he doesn't," she agreed with Sakura's words, "but not many ever do. Very few people deserve a hard life, if any. Unfortunately, there are too many people with hard lives. Everybody has hardship at some time or another. The only thing we can do is to support each other."

Sakura fiercely turned her gaze back to her teammate. "And we will," she declared fiercely. "We will support him."

Silence reigned between the two of them as they both sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Sakura thought about Naruto's grin, hoping that she would be able to see it again soon. She kept her gaze absently on her teammate, not really seeing him.

She focused her gaze when she noticed that his face-muscles were tense and his expression was pained. His skin was also flushed, indicating that he was running a high fever. She gently laid her hand on his brow.

Much to the two medics' shock, he reacted violently towards it. He flinched away from her touch and his breathing grew ragged again and his body tensed, as if it was readying itself for flight.

Sakura hurriedly removed her hand from his brow and his body relaxed slightly. She looked at Tsunade with confusion in her eyes.

"Is he afraid of my hand?" she asked incredulously. His reaction had greatly disturbed her, but she did not want to let it show.

Tsunade frowned. "I think it made him recall bad memories," she said. "He acted as if he thought something bad was going to happen." She looked at the readings on the machines attached to him before she spoke again. "The sedatives aren't working as they're supposed to either. I think he's fighting against it," she said, frowning. It was too soon for him to wake up, especially if his mindset was in the condition Tsunade thought it was. He would only hurt himself more in his confusion.

She turned to Sakura. "Talk to him. Let him know that you are here. I'm not sure whether he can hear you or not, but your voice might help him to calm down," she instructed her student.

Sakura nodded. She saw his eyes flicker wildly beneath his eyelids and his brows pull together in a feverish frown and without thinking, she placed her hand on his brow again. She gently stroked it, noticing that he no longer seemed so frantic over her touch. In fact, he almost seemed to calm down slightly at her touch. It was strange, the way he went from one extreme to the other.

"It's alright, Naruto. I'm here," she said softly, trying to soothe him. She didn't know whether he could hear her or not, but she decided to talk to him anyway, hoping that her voice would calm him down. His eyes stopped flickering and his breathing grew calmer again when she spoke, almost as if he was trying to focus on her voice. She frowned slightly and spoke again, this time believing that he could hear her.

"Naruto? Naruto, can you hear me?" His eyes flickered slightly beneath his eyelids and his breathing grew a bit struggled again. She halted her stroking and just looked at him, until it became apparent to her that he was definitely trying to fight against the sedatives. She smiled gently at him and continued her stroking.

"Naruto, it's alright. You can sleep. Nothing will happen. You are safe here," she said soothingly, hoping her voice will allow him to calm down and stop fighting the sedatives. His frown levelled out slowly and his muscles relaxed, indicating that he had stopped fighting the sedatives. He exhaled softly and his breathing grew regulated, indicating that the sedatives had finally kicked in and allowed him to fall into a deep sleep.

Sakura stared at him for a few seconds before turning her incredulous eyes to Tsunade. "It worked!" she exclaimed softly.

Tsunade chuckled and smiled at her. "See, I told you. You give yourself too little credit," she told her incredulous apprentice before turning serious again. "You were very close to each other before his disappearance. I believed it counted for something and took a gamble. Luckily it worked." She pulled a face for a second. "One of the few gambles that ever does work. Hopefully it's not a bad sign."

Sakura allowed her face to pull into a slight grin at her shishou's words. "Hopefully not," she agreed grinningly. Tsunade made a motion as if to hit her apprentice, but they both knew it wasn't serious.

Tsunade turned her attention to the sleeping blonde again and briefly examined him before turning back to Sakura. "Well, there're still some things I have to do; I just came to see how he was doing. I'll see you around," she told the pinkette.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama. I'll remain here; I want to be here when he wakes up," she told Tsunade. Tsunade nodded at Sakura and left the room, softly closing the door behind her. Sakura took her seat again and settled down with a book. The time passed without any further occurrences and the day turned into night.

A knock sounded on the door and it opened slightly, revealing the hesitant face of Sasuke. He entered the room and sat down beside Sakura, who spared him a glance before closing her book. He looked at the blonde on the bed with a hint of concern in his onyx eyes. They sat in silence for a while, neither saying anything. Sakura waited for Sasuke to say something, knowing that he needed time to frame his thoughts into words.

"I heard you confirmed he's Naruto," he finally broke the silence. He waited for Sakura's nod before he continued. "How is he?" he asked with a barely concealed hint of concern in his voice.

Sakura smiled slightly. It was just like Sasuke to search for information (in this case, confirmation) first before he committed himself to anything. "He's asleep," she told the raven-head. "It was touch and go, but he managed to pull through."

Sasuke kept his gaze on the blonde. "I see," he said and turned his gaze to meet Sakura's eyes. "And the Kyuubi?" he continued neutrally.

Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head. "Gone," she said and opened her eyes again. "It was forcefully extracted from the seal; I guess it was the Akatsuki that did it. He survived the extracting because of the vitality of his mother's clan, according to Tsunade-sama. Whether it will affect him emotionally or not, well, that remains to be seen."

Sasuke grunted in acceptance of her answer and silence fell between the two of them again. Nothing else was said; nothing else was needed. Sakura understood that it was Sasuke's way of showing that he cared. After all, he wouldn't waste his time on things he considered trivial.

The time passed in silence and Sakura opened her book again. Sasuke stayed by her side until visiting hours were over, them he returned to his home. The hospital grew quiet as the last people left, leaving only a skeleton crew of nurses and doctors to man the hospital. Tsunade watched in upon the blonde and pinkette once more before she also returned home, but Sakura stayed by Naruto's side the entire time. She would not leave him until he opened his eyes.

**_~...~_**

The wan winter sun shone brightly into the white hospital room, indicating that morning had broken and waking Sakura. She lifted her head from her arms where they rested on the white hospital bed and groggily looked around the room; for a second she was confused about her surroundings. The memories of the previous day flooded into her mind and she shot up in her chair, looking anxiously for her blonde teammate. He was still lying in the same position he had been before she had drifted off and she sighed softly in relief. She smiled gently at him and muttered a soft greeting, not caring whether he could hear her or not. As she expected, there was no reaction from her teammate.

A knock sounded softly on the door and Tsunade walked in. She spared a glance at the blonde, noticing that there was no change and turned her attention to the pinkette.

"I just checked in to see how he's doing," she said softly. "You'll notify me when there's any change, right? I have to get to my office." Sakura nodded her acceptance and Tsunade left the room again after performing a brief examination on the blonde. The sounds of the rest of the hospital waking up started to fill the air and Sakura settled in her seat again with her book. It was a thick one, so she had not had the chance yet to finish the book. The day passed uneventfully, Sakura leaving the room only to buy food and go to the bathroom. Tsunade had looked in once more and Kakashi had also looked in once to enquire about their teammate's condition.

It was late evening when the blonde finally started to show any change. Sakura jumped up when she heard a faint rustling and looked up to see him stirring weakly. His eyelids flickered slightly and she ran to the door, telling a passing nurse to get the Hokage immediately. The nurse scurried off to find Tsunade and Sakura returned to Naruto's side.

Tsunade came almost immediately, having been in the hospital at that time. She rushed into the room and looked concernedly at the blonde. Noticing that he was showing signs of waking up, she turned to Sakura.

"So he's waking up?" she asked the pinkette.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, I think he's waking up. You said you wanted to know if there's any change in his condition," she told Tsunade and turned her attention to her teammate.

"Naruto? Naruto, can you hear me?" She leaned over him and kept her eyes on his, waiting impatiently for him to open them. A soft groan escaped from his throat and his eyelids fluttered open weakly to reveal dull cerulean eyes. He stared blankly at her for a few seconds before closing his eyes and trying to sit up. She helped him into a sitting position and stepped back slightly, giving him space.

He opened his cerulean eyes again and looked blankly at her and Tsunade for another few seconds. Sakura felt the alarm rise in her at his blank gaze. Something was very wrong.

He bemusedly turned his attention away from Tsunade and his dull cerulean gaze settled upon Sakura's emerald one. Confusion flashed across his eyes and his brows knitted into a confused frown, before he spoke the first words to her in an entire year.

"Who are you?"

_~...~_

**A/N:** And that's another chapter! Sorry for the cliffy :P , but I felt it was rather appropriate.

For those who didn't know, shishou means 'master' in the same context of 'a master and apprentice'.

Please remember to leave a comment, even if it's only one sentence! As I said before, it indicates to me that people are still reading my story and liking it.

See you in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Heya everyone! Once again, thank you for all your support! I really appreciate it.

Just to clarify the background setting a bit, there're a few things you need to take notice of. First, I mentioned in the previous chapters that the Rookie 9 are all about 19 years old. I changed this to 17 in order to let the fic flow better with the plot.

Second, there are a few changes from canon I need to point out. One, Orochimaru and Itachi did not die. They are both still alive and kicking. Two, the Pain fight never happened and lastly, Orochimaru still attacked Konoha (in the Chuunin exam arc) and the invasion still occurred, but he never attacked Team 7 in the chuunin exams. In this story, he had absolutely no interest in Sasuke. Therefore, everything that includes Sasuke post-timeskip did not happen.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

Enjoy the story!

**Recap:** _He opened his cerulean eyes again and looked blankly at her and Tsunade for another few seconds. Sakura felt the alarm rise in her at his blank gaze. Something was very wrong._

_He bemusedly turned his attention away from Tsunade and his dull cerulean gaze settled upon Sakura's emerald one. Confusion flashed across his eyes and his brows knitted into a confused frown, before he spoke the first words to her in an entire year._

"_Who are you?"_

**Towards the Light**

Chapter 6

Sakura stared incredulously at him. Her thoughts raced through her mind, screaming at her that it had to be a joke. It could not possibly be true, could it? Did he really not remember her? What in the world happened to him? She continued to stare incredulously at him, her eyes bearing a hint of pain. His words had really hurt her. She had known that it was possible for his mind to be a bit unstable, but to not recognize her? She didn't want to believe it.

Tsunade took one look at Sakura's incredulous face before she decided to take matters into her own hands. She stepped forward towards the blonde who was staring at Sakura in confusion, the confusion in his eyes growing more prominent when she didn't answer him. His cerulean gaze snapped almost fearfully towards Tsunade when she moved and he kept his eyes on her every movement. Tsunade didn't miss the slight hint of fear in his eyes and she moved slightly slower, trying to appear less threatening.

She stopped about half a metre away from his bed before she broke the silence that had fallen uncomfortably around them. She kept her voice soft and non-threatening, hoping that her voice wouldn't send him into a panic.

"Naruto, do you know who I am?" She kept her eyes on his face, documenting every expression that flashed across his face. His gaze turned distant when she said his name and it became apparent to her that he had not heard a word she had said following his name. His eyes grew almost wild with confusion, drifting away from Tsunade's gaze and his brows pulled together into a deeper frown.

"Naruto? Is that...who is that?" he whispered, his voice filled with complete confusion, but the last part he directed to Tsunade. His eyes were begging her for an answer, indicating that he was desperate for the answers to the questions that haunted him. Sakura sank helplessly into her chair, his words confirming her suspicions about the condition of his mind.

Tsunade closed her eyes and pinched her nose bridge in exasperation before she looked at the confused blonde again. His eyes were utterly confused, but there was a hint of another emotion hidden behind his confusion: desperation. His eyes were desperately searching hers for answers she didn't know how to relay to him.

Comprehension flickered across his eyes when he read the answer in her eyes and he turned his gaze away from the two of them, staring blankly at the covers on the bed. Silence fell between them again.

He tore his gaze away from the covers when the silence grew too profound and stared out of the window. "That's...me, isn't it?" he asked softly. He kept him eyes on the outside, but turned them back to the sannin after he completed the sentence, his eyes narrowed slightly in an unreadable emotion. "_I'm_ Naruto?" he asked desperately.

Tsunade sighed softly and closed her eyes to get away from his confused and desperate ones. She nodded once before she opened her eyes and answered him softly.

"Yes, you are Naruto. Do you not remember?" She kept her eyes on his face, wishing that he would flash them that bright smile of his and declare the entire situation a joke, but she knew that it would not happen. The confusion in his eyes was too real, too prominent and too clear. He genuinely didn't recognize them.

He tore his gaze away from her and stared blankly in front of him. His eyes were wide and distant, as if he was contemplating the meaning of her words. He blinked a few times and dropped his gaze, still refusing to meet Tsunade's eyes.

"I..." He looked out of the window again, as if he was unsure of how to reply, before he looked down at the covers again. Bewilderment flickered across his eyes and he blinked a few times before he clenched his eyes shut and softly bit his lip. He shook his head slowly from side to side, mutely answering Tsunade's question. He opened his eyes slowly and stared sadly at the covers. "I can't remember," he whispered softly, not even bothering to hide the sadness in his voice.

Tsunade sat down in the chair she had been sitting in before. "Nothing? Is there anything you can remember?" she asked him gently.

Silence fell between them as he contemplated the question. A few minutes passed uncomfortably before he finally responded. "I don't know," he whispered softly and tilted his head up to stare at the ceiling. "I...I keep seeing these...images. They're nothing more than flashes, but...they mean something. I think."

Tsunade shared a glance with Sakura before she turned to the confused blonde again. "Do you think they're memories?" she asked him softly, her tone concealing any emotion she might've felt.

He shrugged slightly. "I don't know." He looked down at the bed again, struggling to frame his confused thoughts into words. His eyelids flickered slightly as his confusion grew again. "They're just flashes. I can't make sense of any of them. They appear randomly and most of them only appear once." He shook his head slightly. "I don't understand any of them." His breathing grew slightly strained and his voice grew frantic. "I don't understand why I keep seeing these images. I don't understand what they mean and I..." He stopped midsentence and stared at the bed without really seeing it, his eyes wide and frantic. His breath fastened in panic and his hands started to shake slightly.

He suddenly yelled loudly and grasped his head between his hands. He panted slightly for breath and still stared frantically at the bed. "Why...? What...? Why can't I remember? What's going on? _WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER?_" His eyes widened in panic and his breath grew even more frantic as he stared sightlessly in front of him, lost in his own frantic thoughts and questions.

Tsunade reached out with her hand to touch his arm, hoping that her touch will bring him back to the present and calm him down, but to both her and Sakura's shock, he violently slapped her hand away, staring at her in tense fear. His eyes were directed on her, but it was clear to both medics that it was not them he was seeing, but someone else. His gaze was filled with hate as he continued to glare at them. He suddenly winced in pain when the wound on his stomach began to bleed slightly, clearly reopened by his frantic struggling.

Tsunade tried to calm him with her voice. "Naruto, please, stop struggling. You're hurting yourself. We won't hurt you," she tried to soothe him, but her voice only caused him to grow more frantic.

"Shut up," he growled menacingly. "I won't listen to your poisonous tongue anymore. I have had enough experience with that." He continued to glare at Tsunade with hatred, but Tsunade only looked back at him with confusion in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something again, but Naruto's fierce glare prevented her from saying anything else. She could see that nothing she said would be able to calm him and since his wound was definitely starting to bleed again, they needed to get him to calm down. She closed her mouth again as she tried to find a peaceful way to resolve the situation. She could not administer any sedatives, as it was quite clear that he wouldn't allow anybody near him and the IV was too close to his bed for her to administer the sedatives through it.

Sakura stepped forward, immediately drawing his attention. She said nothing; she merely looked at him, but her eyes were begging him to calm down. The hatred in his fierce glare slowly diminished until it disappeared completely and confusion took its place. He stared at her in utter confusion for a few seconds before the pain in his abdomen finally registered in his mind. He hissed at the sudden pain and clutched reflexively at his stomach. He opened his pain-filled eyes again when the pain had started to diminish slightly and stared at her in confusion.

"Why...? Who are you? Why does the sight of your face make my heart clench? Why does it hurt to not know who you are?" he asked her desperately, his eyes staring at her in anguish. The obvious pain in his eyes (both physical and mental) caused her heart to clench at the sight. She reached out slowly towards him, hoping that he wouldn't reject her touch like he did with the Hokage. He turned his gaze to her approaching hand, but he didn't turn away from it. She hesitantly touched his arm and he flinched at her touch, but he didn't try to evade it. He merely continued to stare at her in anguished confusion.

She sat down slowly on the bed, keeping her eyes locked with his. "It's okay, Naruto. You're safe here," she gently soothed him. He let out a shuddering breath at her words and swallowed nervously, the muscles in his neck indicating that he had not relaxed yet. She slowly moved her body closer to him and when he didn't react to her closeness, she softly pulled him into a gentle embrace. He remained tense for a few more seconds, but apparently her touch soothed him as his body slowly relaxed into her embrace and he closed his eyes tiredly.

Tsunade took the chance to administer the sedatives through the IV while he was distracted. Sakura gently rubbed his back to calm him down, muttering soothing words into his ears. They remained sitting like that for a few minutes until the sedatives finally kicked in and his breathing grew regulated, indicating that sleep had claimed him once again. Sakura gently lowered him to the bed when Tsunade indicated to her to meet her outside the room. They left the room and Tsunade softly closed the door behind her before she turned to Sakura.

Sakura stared confusedly at her shishou. "What happened in there? One moment he was fine and the next he completely freaked out! Why is he like this? _What in the world happened to him?_" she asked her shishou desperately.

Tsunade stared pensively at the closed door. "I don't know, Sakura. I've got absolutely no idea what happened to him. I was hoping that he would be able to tell us, but clearly that's not possible. If I have to take a guess, I would say that he had probably undergone torture or something of the like. The way his mind switched between confused and frantic and also the fact that he cannot remember who he is could be a sign of heavy psychological trauma. Of course, I could be wrong. We will have to run tests," she told her apprentice seriously.

Sakura crossed her arms and looked thoughtfully at her shishou. "If it is psychological, then what do we do? What should we do to help him return to normal?" she asked the Hokage.

Tsunade remained silent for a moment before turning to her apprentice again. "You have to understand, Sakura. It is possible that he will never return to the way he was before. It all depends on how severe the damage is, _if_ it is psychological. As I said before, we will have to run tests first before we can make further plans," she said solemnly. "If it is proven that it is psychological, then we will do everything we possibly can to restore him to the way he was before he disappeared."

Tsunade glanced on the watch ticking on the wall before she turned back to Sakura. "Why don't you go home for a bit to get some rest? It'll do you good. I know you haven't been home ever since you returned from the mission and I can assure you that he won't wake up again while you're not here. The sedatives I gave him are pretty potent."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly at Tsunade's words. She had almost forgotten that she still needed to return home, but Tsunade's words reminded her that she had been at the hospital ever since they had returned from the mission and that she had not had her promised shower yet. She shuddered slightly when she thought of the accumulated grime on her skin.

She gave Tsunade a small grin. "I guess I'll do that. A shower would be pretty welcome right now." Tsunade smiled at her and shooed her off. She happily turned homewards, but she could not completely remove her thoughts from the problem she had been presented with regarding her blond teammate's psychological condition.

**_~...~_**

The moon shed her cold light serenely on the earth, illuminating the beaten paths and roads of Konoha. The last remnants of the fallen snow shimmered slightly in the cold moonlight, giving the illusion of a hidden magical world that only emerged when the moon was shining.

Sakura hurried along amidst the shimmering beauty towards her home without sparing even a glance to her surroundings. She was anxious to get out of the cold and into her home so that she could finally relax with the warm shower she had promised herself during their mission. Even though a large part of her thoughts still dwelled on her blond teammate, the greater part was now solely focused on getting home. She was so intent on getting home that she didn't notice the person walking behind her until he softly placed his hand on her shoulder.

She shrieked startled at his touch and swirled around, fist raised in order to attack her assaulter. She eyes widened in surprise and she hesitantly lowered her hand when she noticed that the person behind her was none other than her other teammate, Uchiha Sasuke. He lifted an eyebrow at her raised hand and his eyes sported a faint hint of amusement. She felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment and turned her head away from his eyes in order to try to hide the creeping blush. Judging from the slight smirk on the Uchiha's face, however, it was clear that she had not succeeded in hiding her embarrassment.

She cleared her throat slightly and straightened her posture, trying to regain her dignity. The smirk on Sasuke's face grew slightly when he noticed her attempt to regain her lost dignity. She felt the annoyance rise in her, but she immediately tried to force the feeling down.

"Can I help you? Or did you stop me in order to laugh at me?" she asked the smirking Uchiha coldly. The hint of amusement in his eyes grew more prominent at her words and tone of voice. He had startled her earlier and she was quite sure that he was laughing at her in his mind.

He raised an eyebrow at her expression. "Of course not. I wouldn't waste my time over such a trivial action," he told her with a slight hint of amusement in his voice.

She continued to stare coldly at him until she relented and her eyes softened. "No, I guess you wouldn't," she agreed with him and a hint of concern entered her eyes. "Since you didn't try to startle me, there must be another reason why you stopped me. Was there something you wanted?" she asked him concernedly.

He turned his gaze away from her and stared distantly at the moon, lost in his own thoughts. A few minutes passed silently between them and Sakura felt the cold penetrate through her clothing again. She shivered slightly at the cold, but she did not try to break the silence between them. She had learned a long time ago that it was better to let him speak first.

He finally turned his gaze back towards her, his face hiding any emotion he might've felt beneath a blank mask. "I heard he woke up today," he said softly. He didn't need to clarify who the 'he' was, since she already knew that he was talking about their other teammate. Even though he had tried to act nonchalant at the time, she had always known that their blonde teammate had never been far from the raven-head's thoughts.

The problem that had somehow managed to be shoved to the back of her mind resurfaced again with full force. She knew that she could not tell the raven-head about Naruto's inability to remember them, as it would hurt the Uchiha more than it had hurt her. It had been Naruto who had convinced Sasuke to let go of his quest for revenge and ever since then, they had been almost inseparable. If he was to find out about the unstable state of Naruto's mind...she didn't even want to think about it.

"Where did you hear that?" she asked him neutrally, trying to steer away from the subject that would present itself if Sasuke was to hear about his friend's unstable mind.

He gave her a level stare and remained silent until she started to fidget a bit. "Kakashi told me. Tsunade-sama told him when he went in to see her in order to receive a mission briefing," he said, continuing to stare levelly at her and it felt to her as if he was staring straight through her ruse. She looked away from him, trying to escape his stare.

He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and forced her to look at him. "Sakura, what are you trying to hide from me?" he asked her levelly.

She sighed at his words and closed her eyes. He had always been able to notice immediately when she was trying to hide something from him (or anyone else, for that matter). Then again, she had never really succeeded in being subtle.

She turned her back on him and opened her eyes. "Yes, he woke up briefly today, but it was only for a few minutes," she answered his previous question, trying to avoid the subject he was trying to press. She didn't find it necessary to tell him that it had been _them_ that had caused the blonde to fall asleep again. That information was part of the subject she was trying to avoid.

She felt his gaze burning upon her back. "Sakura, you're trying to avoid the subject. What are you trying to hide from me?" he asked her again.

She sighed softly before she turned to him. "Sasuke, please, not now. I'm tired and dirty and cold and _really_ not in the mood to discuss this right now. I've received a huge shock today and I still need to come to terms with it. I promise that I _will_ tell you eventually, but not right now. Please, just let it go," she begged him tiredly.

He kept his gaze solemnly on her, his expression an enigma. He nodded barely perceptibly and removed his hand from her shoulder, but he did not remove his gaze. "But you will tell me eventually, right? And by eventually I don't mean in a week's time. I mean tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at the latest," he told her seriously. She looked at him and nodded solemnly, mutely accepting his demands. They turned around and left towards their respective destinations, each lost in their own thoughts.

**_~...~_**

_Red. So red. Crimson liquid slowly seeps onto the floor, forming an angry red stain on the cold stone floor. The coldness seeps through his skin into his very bones, just like the crimson liquid is seeping through the cracks of the floor. The air is filled with a coppery smell and a dank, musty odour is hanging around in the air surrounding him. Far off into the distance he can hear harsh screams of pain echoing through the halls of this hideous lair of death. His dull cerulean eyes are fixated blankly on the blood-splattered wall in front of him – blood originating from the previous victims of the cell, as well as his own._

_A maniacal cackle sounds from the cell beside his, but he takes no notice of it. Its inhabitant has been randomly sprouting nonsense at inappropriate times so often that he no longer takes any notice of it. It had just become another part of this abysmal place, just like how the sight of the crimson liquid and the coppery smell of blood had become a part of this place._

'I should fight back...'_ he thinks, but his mind screams at him that it is not possible. He has tried too many times before, only to fail miserably. _

_The blood-splattered wall in front of him disappears when he tiredly closes his eyes. Familiar images of hazy people flicker across his mind's eye: a blonde woman with hazel eyes and a purple diamond on her forehead smiling gently at him; a girl with long black hair and white eyes shyly gazing at him and pressing her index fingers together; a green-clad boy with shining black hair cut into a bowl shape and abnormally round eyes staring passionately into the distance with fire burning in his eyes; a boy with black hair tied into a spiky ponytail on top of his head staring lazily at him through one half-lidded eye; a man with silver hair and a mask covering his face smiling at him with a closed eye; a boy with black hair standing in spikes at the back of his head and red eyes with black commas arranged around the iris staring at him with a confident smirk on his face and lastly, a girl with emerald eyes and soft pink hair gently framing her face looking at him with a smile on her face._

_He opens his eyes again to stare blankly at the dull wall in front of him and a single tear slips from the corner of his eye. He keeps his mind's eye on the last lingering image of the pink-haired girl, even though the image is steadily fading away into nothingness. He reaches out with his hand in yearning towards the sight, even though he knows that it is only an image._

"_Saku..." The door to his cell is suddenly thrown open with a harsh clang and a young man with grey hair tied in a low ponytail and round glasses steps into the tiny cell. The man looks at him with a sneer on his face and he feels an incredible hate rise up in him. _

_The man looks at him with a possessive smile. "How are you doing, Naruto-kun? Are you ready for the next experiment?"_

_He feels the anger and hate rise even more inside him and he fixes a hate-filled glare on the four-eyes. He can feel his vision clear slightly as he tries to stand up and attack the man, but before he is even able to rise completely, his strength leaves him and he falls to the floor again. _

_The grey-haired man smirks at him before he insultingly pats his cheek. "Now now, Naruto-kun. You know it's futile to struggle. In the end, you will always lose and we will always emerge victorious," he says and harshly sticks a needle into a vein on his arm, causing his vision to dull again and the last remnants of his strength to completely leave his body._

_Hopelessness settles into his heart when the two men that accompanied the grey-haired man grasp him beneath the arms and drag him across the floor towards the door. He can feel the grey-haired man's possessive gaze linger on his prone body and the feeling of rage rises in him again. With great effort, he fixes his gaze on the man again and pulls his lips into a snarl._

_"I promise you, Kabuto, even if it is the last thing I do, I _will_ kill you and Orochimaru. I won't let you emerge victorious," he promises the grey-haired man with conviction in his voice. _

_Kabuto merely laughs at him and turned his back on him. The two men grasp him again and drag him across a corridor, silently following Kabuto. He feels his vision dimming even more with every step they take and a single image of a green-eyed girl flashes across his mind before his vision finally dims completely..._

He shot up into a sitting position, his hands clenching the white sheets of the hospital bed and his eyes wide open in horror. He heart raced in his chest and he stared around him in bewilderment, trying to determine his surroundings. The wan moonlight shone softly into the room, casting the room in an eerie glow. His breathing slowed down slightly when the memories of the previous day flowed into his consciousness and he realised that he was in no immediate danger.

He let out a shuddering breath and tiredly closed his eyes. "It was a dream. It was just a dream," he muttered softly to himself, but another voice hidden deep inside his mind argued against him. _Was it really just a dream? How can you say that with certainty? How can you be so sure that it wasn't a memory?_

He opened his eyes again, trying to get away from the voice, but he could not escape the truth hidden in those words. He knew that he had no way of knowing for sure whether the nightmare had once been a memory or not and for some reason, the nightmare felt hauntingly familiar. Even now, after the lingering images of the nightmare had started to vanish, he could still remember with startling clarity the coppery smell of blood and the sight of the possessive smile on Kabuto's face.

An intense feeling of hate suddenly bubbled up in him at the name. His eyes widened slightly and he stared blankly into the distance, focusing only on the intense emotions raging on inside him. _Why? Why do I feel this way? _The voice in his mind hauntingly sounded again. _Aren't you feeling like this _because_ it is a memory?_

His breath caught in his chest when another series of images flashed through his mind: images that made the nightmare appear almost as harmless as a puppy. He started to pant slightly for air and sweat drops slowly started to slide down his face, but he did not register the sensation. His eyes were fixated on images that only he could see: images that were starting to feel more and more familiar to him. The images steadily grew more and more until he finally grasped his head between his hands.

"Please," he murmured softly into the darkness, "don't show me this. Don't make me remember. I don't want to remember. Please,_ please_, just make it stop," he pathetically begged the voice in his head, but the voice continued to taunt him. _Why? Why don't you want to remember? Why won't you let me out? _He curled up into a small ball, trying to lessen the mental agony, but he could not escape the voice in his head. It continued to taunt him, asking questions he didn't want to answer or even knew how to answer. A few tears slipped from the corners of his eyes, but he did not register it. He merely remained curled into a ball, silently begging the voice to stop torturing him.

The voice finally stopped speaking, but he could still feel it waiting. The images disappeared completely, but he remained lying on the bed, fearfully waiting for whatever the voice would throw at him next. He could almost feel the voice sigh before it spoke again. _I guess you're not ready yet. But mark my words; you cannot remain like this forever. Sometime or another, you _will_ have to face your past. Before it is too late. _The voice disappeared from his mind and he fearfully opened his eyes, staring sightlessly in front of him. A strange weary feeling washed over him and he tiredly closed his eyes, the tears still lingering upon his cheeks. The voice's last words lingered in his mind until he finally drifted off into a fitful dreamless sleep.

'_Sometime or another, you _will_ have to face your past. Before it is too late...'_

_~...~_

A/N: And that's another chapter! Please let me know what you think and if there is ANY errors at all, please tell me! Since my native language is NOT English, I am unaware of any mistakes, especially grammar, seeing as my native language only has 3 tenses. So please, no matter how trivial the mistakes are, please tell me!

See you in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: Hi everyone! Welcome to the next chapter to Towards the Light! Before you start reading, I'd like to say something.

Please remember that this story is AU. That means that there will be things that differ from canon and things will happen differently from canon. Therefore, not everybody will be exactly the same of have the same feelings as in canon. That said, I also want to state that this story does NOT have a complete outline. It has a basic plotline and I know what I want to let happen and more or less when I want to let it happen, but I did not give thought to the smaller things e.g. Who is Orochimaru's Akatsuki partner etc. Since the story doesn't have a set outline, it is very dynamic and liable to change. It keeps the story interesting :P and it is where my muse is taking me. Therefore, some background events might change from time to time.

That said, I said in the previous chapter that the Pain fight did not happen. I thought more about it and decided against it, so that means that the Pain fight did indeed happen in this story. I apologize for changing it. The truth is, I don't think about the deeper consequences until I reach a certain event and then I realise that oops! that won't work if that and that happened, and that is when I change it. I'm very scatterbrained, so I REALLY don't think about it. I sincerely apologize for any confusion.

Okay, thank you for reading through this tedious author's note! Please enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**Towards the Light**

Chapter 7

Soft light filtered lightly through the white curtains, bathing the sterile hospital room in the wan light of the winter morning-sun. The usual sounds of hospital activity filled the air as doctors and nurses went along with their daily routine.

Naruto's eyelids slowly flickered open and his cerulean eyes stared absently at the spotless ceiling. He stared at the ceiling in confusion for a few seconds before the events of the previous day filtered through his mind. He sat up in the bed, duly noting that the pain in his abdomen had lessened a bit.

A knock sounded softly on the door and it opened to reveal the same blond woman that had talked to him the previous day. A sudden image flashed through his mind again - the same image of the blond-haired woman with the hazel eyes and purple diamond on her forehead that appeared in his dream the previous night. He blinked at the image and allowed his eyes to wander to the woman's forehead; sure enough, her forehead sported the purple diamond. It was exactly the same person.

She lifted an eyebrow in suspicion when she noticed his gaze lingering on her forehead. "Is there something wrong?" she asked him with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

He blinked at the words, her voice startling him out of his reverie. "I..." he looked down and frowned slightly in contemplation. He looked up again and tilted his head slightly to the side as he continued to look questioningly at her. "Do I know you?" he asked her uncertainly.

A hint of sadness flickered across her eyes for a split second before she erased the signs from her face. She walked closer to his side and sat down on the chair, keeping her eyes on his face. Her eyes searched his questioningly and the silence between them grew heavy.

"What do _you_ think?" she asked him gently, breaking the heavy silence. He dropped his gaze away from hers and stared at the covers again, his fists clenched tightly in frustration.

A pregnant silence fell between them again as he contemplated her question. A part of him was almost certain that he had known her previously, but another part of him was adamant that he had never met her before. His mind told him that he only met her the day before, but his heart screamed at him that she was precious to him. He didn't know which one to believe anymore. He could feel the other presence in his head trying to tell him the answer, but for some reason he could not understand the words the voice were speaking.

"I don't know," he whispered softly in response to the blond woman's question. He closed his eyes and sadly shook his head. "I just don't know anymore. I think I'm supposed to know you, but I just can't remember." He opened his eyes again and stared dully at his clenched fists. "I want to remember, but I...I just can't."

She looked at him for a few seconds with a hint of sympathy in her eyes before she broke the silence that had fallen between them again. "I want to help you, Naruto. We all want to help you. You are a very precious person to us, even if you don't realise it right now. We will do everything in our power to help you, but we cannot help you if you don't allow us to," she gently told him, her eyes proving that she meant every word. He looked neutrally at her, waiting for her to continue, his eyes and attitude proving that he was listening attentively to her. She looked like she was satisfied by his silent response and continued with her speech. "However, for us to help you, you will have to trust us. Do you think you can do that?" she asked him with a slight pleading note in her voice. It was so well disguised that he almost didn't notice it.

He thought deeply about her words. Can he trust her? Will he be able to trust her? How can he trust somebody he doesn't know? The voice in his head sounded once more, but this time he could understand it. _How can you say you don't know her? How can you be so positive that you never met her before? _He felt hesitation set in him again at the voice's angry words. _Why won't you remember? Why do you refuse to acknowledge what's in front of your eyes, dattebayo? _He blinked in surprise at the last word. Dattebayo? Why did it sound so familiar?

He got broken out of his reverie at the blond woman's frantic voice. "Naruto, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

He blinked at her voice and looked at her, momentarily confused. He met her frantic eyes and recoiled slightly in surprise at the genuine concern in her eyes. He stared wide-eyed at her for a few seconds before her questions finally registered in his mind. "Uhm, yes?" he replied uncertainly to her question.

She leaned back relieved in her chair before she gave him a worried look. "What just happened? You haven't been responding to anything in five minutes!"

He blinked in surprise again. "Really?" he asked, genuinely surprised. He didn't realise that he had spaced out that long.

She stared levelly at him. "Yes, really. What happened?" she repeated her question.

He looked away from her searching gaze. "Nothing, I was merely..." He halted midway through his sentence as he contemplated his answer. He was merely...what? Thinking? Lost in thought? Listening to the voice in his head? Somehow he didn't think it was wise to say that. "...thinking," he finally finished his sentence. She raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but his answer apparently appeased her as she didn't try to press his answer.

Silence fell between them while she looked patiently at him, waiting for his answer to her earlier question. He stared almost absently at her, remembering the image that had flashed through his mind earlier. He must've known her previously, just like the voice had implied.

"You said," he finally broke the silence between them, "that I'm a precious person to you. Does that mean that I do know you?" he asked her curiously.

She hesitated for a split second before nodding her head. "You knew me before, yes." He stared levelly at her, lost in his own thoughts. Her eyes bore no lie and the voice in his mind urged him to believe her and trust her. He decided to take a wild leap of faith and trust the voice in his mind.

"Can I trust you?" he asked her vulnerably, his heart in his eyes. He desperately wanted to believe her, but a very prominent part of him was afraid of trusting her.

"Yes." She said it with complete and utter conviction. He searched her eyes for any signs of falseness, but there were none. She truly meant it.

He felt his heart lift slightly at her words. He knew that there was still room for betrayal, but in his heart he decided to trust her completely. "Then I will trust you," he told her softly.

He saw the gratitude shining in her eyes. "Thank you," she said softly. "I promise you won't regret it." She stood up and put on her professional air, the medic in her taking over. "In order to help you, we need to do tests in order to determine exactly what the problem is. Will you allow us to do that?"

He tensed slightly at her words, the images of his dream of the previous night flashing through his mind again, as well as the sensation of pain and hopelessness. His breath fastened slightly in anxiety and he felt a slight hint of fear rise in his heart. He got broken out of the feeling when he felt a gentle hand lying on his shoulder, trying to soothe him.

He blinked to clear his vision and his cerulean eyes met concerned hazel ones. She looked at him with undisguised concern in her eyes. "Naruto, I know that it might bring up unpleasant memories, but I promise that I will never hurt you. You are far too precious to me. But this is why I asked you to trust me. We need to do this in order to help you," she told him solemnly in a gentle voice. He continued to look at her with slight fear in his eyes, but forced the feeling down. He nodded slowly at her, mutely indicating his acceptance.

She smiled gently at him before continuing. "We will need to take a scan of your brain in order to determine whether the cause of your amnesia is physical or not. Once we have determined the cause, we will be able to treat it accordingly." She looked at him again with slight hesitation. "In order for me to do this test, I will have to touch you. Is that okay with you?" she asked him concernedly. He hesitated slightly before he nodded his acceptance again.

She smiled caringly at him and gently laid her hand on his forehead. He closed his eyes slowly when her hand grew slightly warm and glowed in a soft green light. Images flickered through his mind faster than he could discern, but he did not fight it. A few minutes passed in this fashion until he felt the warmth recede and he opened his eyes hesitantly. She removed her hand from his forehead and drew back with a thoughtful look on her face. He looked worriedly at her, wondering what the result of the test was.

She flashed a gentle smile at him when she caught sight of his worried expression. "Physically, there's nothing wrong with your brain. There are a few unusual impulses, but nothing which would cause memory loss," she told him. "That means that the cause of your amnesia is most likely psychological," she continued. "Of course, we need to run some more tests in order to be certain."

He listened attentively to her words, not once interrupting her. "So what's next, then?" he asked her when she finished talking.

She hesitated slightly before she answered him. "I need to speak with someone first before we can continue to the next step. I am unable to perform the next tests, so I need to discuss it with the person who is able to." He tensed slightly when she mentioned the other person. He knew that he had given her his full trust, but he was still hesitant to trust other people.

She noticed his tense attitude and smiled gently at him. "Don't worry," she soothed him, "he won't hurt you. As I said before, I won't allow anyone to hurt you again. I give you my word. The experience might be a bit unpleasant, but it won't harm you."

He stared at her for a minute or two before he finally nodded his acceptance. She flashed him a grateful smile and started to excuse herself from the room, but he interrupted her before she could leave.

"Please, could you tell me who you are to me? How did I know you previously?" he asked her with a pleading note in his voice.

She hesitated for a few seconds before she finally replied to his question. "I could tell you, but I think it would be better for you to remember it yourself," she gently told him and left the room.

He stared after her for a long time, lost in his own thoughts. He pondered her words, his thoughts suddenly wandering towards the other presence in his mind and the strange words the voice had spoken. Almost as if the voice noticed he was thinking about it, it interrupted his thoughts again. _She's right, you know. You should try to remember on your own. If you listen more to me, you will regain your memories before long._ He felt a strange reluctance fall over him. For some reason, he didn't want to listen to the voice.

'Who are you? Why are you in my head?' he asked the voice desperately in his mind. The voice remained silent for a few seconds before it answered him.

_I am you. _

**|_~...~_~...~_~...~_~...~_~...~_~...~_~...~_|**

Tsunade softly closed the door behind her and set off towards her office at a brisk pace. She had slipped away from her office (without notifying anybody) to check on the blonde who was like a brother to her and she knew that it wouldn't be long before Shizune came looking for her. She sighed softly when she thought of all the paperwork waiting for her in her office.

Her thoughts returned to the discussion she had had with Naruto. It was quite obvious that he was hesitant to trust her, but for some reason or another he had decided to believe her. It had saddened her a lot when she saw the hesitant expression on his face, especially since she knew that he had trusted her with his life before his disappearance.

She noticed her pink-haired apprentice rush towards her with a hurried expression on her face and calmly waited for Sakura to reach her. The pinkette came to a halt in front of her shishou and stood straight.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Tsunade-sama. Ino insisted on talking to me when she caught sight of me, even though I told her that you were expecting me," she told her shishou crisply.

Tsunade dismissed the matter with a wave of her hand before she focused her gaze on Sakura's emerald one. "It's no matter. Nothing really important happened while you were gone, but try not to let it happen next time. There is a reason why I ask you to be somewhere on a specific time," she gently admonished her apprentice. Sakura embarrassedly hung her head, but her emerald eyes quickly met Tsunade's again, a question shining very prominently in her eyes.

Tsunade sighed at the unspoken question. "He was awake when I went in to see him, but I think I caught him just after he woke up," she answered the unspoken question in the pinkette's eyes.

Gratitude flashed across the pinkette's eyes and she turned to leave, but suddenly paused and fixed her attention on Tsunade again. "And the tests...?" she asked hesitantly.

Tsunade allowed her gaze to wander into the direction of Naruto's room before she fixed it upon Sakura again. "Well, I can tell you that the cause of his problem isn't physical, but that's all I can currently tell you. I need to have a Yamanaka take a look inside his head before I can be sure of the cause of his amnesia. So far, everything points towards it being a purely psychological problem," she told the attentively listening pinkette.

Sakura sadly dropped her gaze. "I see," she replied quietly before meeting Tsunade's eyes again. "But we'll be able to help him, right?" she asked her shishou desperately.

Tsunade didn't reply for a few seconds. She honestly didn't know if the blonde would ever return to the way he was before. So far, all the evidence pointed towards the damage dealt to him being too much, too severe. She sighed softly and closed her eyes. "I hope so Sakura. I truly hope so," she told the wide-eyed pinkette softly. "By the way, when you go to see him, don't tell him who you are. Let him try to figure it out by himself," she told her apprentice and continued on her original track, leaving her apprentice standing bewilderedly in the corridor.

She walked through the village until she reached her office where she collapsed into her office chair, gently messaging her temples. She was truly glad that they had found Naruto again, but his arrival brought so many questions, just like his disappearance had one year ago. At that time they had been left with numerous questions when they had found his bloodied forehead protector and the necklace she gave him laying on the site of the battle, looking like it had been ripped off his neck by force. A lot of people had speculated that he had ripped it off himself, but she quickly dispatched of the rumours. The report sent by the team he was travelling with had proven the rumours wrong and his forehead protector had been soaked in blood which tests had proven was his own, further disproving the rumours. She had hoped that the blonde would finally be able to answer those questions, but apparently that was impossible at the current moment. She groaned in frustration. Why did everything always had to happen to him?

She heard the door open and looked up to meet the onyx eyes of her assistant. Shizune yelped slightly when she noticed the Hokage and quickly rushed forward, depositing the paperwork in her arms on the desk.

"Tsunade-sama! Where have you been?" she asked the busty blonde. Tsunade fixed her gaze on Shizune, glaring at her from beneath her eyebrows.

"I was visiting our local troublemaker in the hospital, that's where," she told her long-time travelling companion with frustration.

Shizune's onyx eyes took on a sad gleam and she dropped her gaze. "Oh. Sorry," she replied softly and lifted her gaze towards Tsunade's again. "How is he? Is he any better?" she asked her mentor curiously.

Tsunade sighed again. "Physically, he's fine. Apart from the wound on his abdomen, there's nothing physically wrong with him. It's his mind I'm worried about," she told Shizune in a tired tone.

Shizune frowned at the words. "His mind? What's wrong with it?" she asked her teacher confusedly.

Tsunade fixed a level glance on Shizune before she replied. "You know of his amnesia, right?" Shizune nodded, the look on her face wondering where the conversation was heading. Tsunade continued with the discussion. "I've determined that the reason for that isn't physical and judging by his reactions both yesterday and today, it's starting to look more and more as if the damage is purely psychological. I need to have a Yamanaka take a look at his mind before I can be sure."

Shizune pursed her lips slightly as she contemplated the words. "Is that wise? It might cause unpleasant memories to resurface," she asked her mentor solemnly.

Tsunade nodded. "I know that. But right now, that is the only option we have. I already told him that the test would be unpleasant and he still agreed." She sighed softly. "I just hope it won't cause him to lose his trust in me," she muttered softly.

A heavy silence fell between them as they both pondered the problem. A few minutes passed before Shizune broke the silence. "So who are you planning on doing the test?" she asked the blonde curiously.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and contemplated the question. She had thought about Inoichi, but she was unsure whether that was the best option or not. "I think I'm going to ask Inoichi. He's the best at mind-walking," she replied after a few seconds.

Shizune continued to look at her mentor. "But is that wise? Will Naruto-kun be able to trust him enough? Wouldn't Ino-chan be the better choice?" she asked with a slight frown on her face.

Tsunade lifted an eyebrow at Shizune's words. "Ino? She only recently learned the mind-walking technique, so her control could be a bit better. Why her?" she asked her assistant curiously.

Shizune fidgeted slightly at the stare. "Well, it's just that Naruto-kun had never really known Inoichi-san, but he had been good friends with Ino-chan for a while now. Maybe he will be able to trust her more and I've heard that trust is important in order for a person to complete the technique successfully?" she asked Tsunade uncertainly.

Tsunade acknowledged the point Shizune was trying to make. "True, but unlike Ino, Inoichi has more experience. He knows what to look for while Ino isn't as certain. Besides, if Ino makes a mistake, then the consequences could be long lasting," Tsunade pointed out. "Although, on the other hand, Ino might be able to get more information. That is, IF he still trusts her enough. Hmm, difficult options," she continued.

Shizune sighed softly. "Why don't you ask Inoichi-san what he thinks is best? If he says that he believes Ino-chan to be the best choice then let her do the test. However, if he says he doesn't feel that she's ready for it, then let him do the test," she tried to reason with her mentor.

Tsunade contemplated Shizune's proposal. It had a lot of promise. "Very well. We'll do it that way. Tell Inoichi and Ino that I want to see them as soon as possible," she told her assistant. Shizune bowed respectfully and left the office in order to notice the two shinobi in question of the Hokage's order.

Tsunade stared absently after her assistant, but quickly turned her attention to the piles of paperwork sitting on her desk. She groaned audibly and dutifully attacked the piles of paperwork on her desk.

**|_~...~_~...~_~...~_~...~_~...~_~...~_~...~_|**

Sakura stood in front of the door leading to her blond teammate's room, her hand hovering hesitantly over the doorknob. She wanted to see him again, but the events of the previous day lingered in her mind. She knew that he still had no idea of who she was and she didn't know if she was strong enough to endure the blank look in his eyes when he looked at her.

Angrily, she forced the feeling down and allowed a smile to slip onto her face. She did not want to upset him further. She took a deep breath and softly knocked on the door. She opened it after a few seconds and curiously peered into the room, looking at the bed. Sure enough, her blond teammate was sitting on the bed, staring out of the window.

His gaze snapped towards her when he heard the door open. Her heart lifted slightly when she noticed a flicker of recognition cross his eyes, but it sank again when the flicker was erased. He stared at her with an interested look on his face.

"Can I help you?" he asked her curiously. She felt her heart clench at the words and her smile faltered slightly, but she quickly forced the smile back onto her face. She walked into the room towards his bed, but stopped a few metres away from his bed, afraid of upsetting him if she got too close.

"I only came to see how you're doing, Naruto. I know...that...you don't remember right now, but...I...you..." She struggled to find the right words, not quite knowing how to tell him that she cared about him.

He kept his gaze on her for a few seconds before he turned away and stared out of the window again. An awkward silence fell between them for a few minutes. She closed her mouth and kept silent when she noticed that his attention was no longer fixed on her. She shifted her weight slightly, uncomfortable with the silence, but she didn't know how to break it without making the situation even more awkward.

She was spared the problem when he suddenly broke the silence. "You...are another person from my past, aren't you?" he asked her softly and turned his deep cerulean gaze towards her. She gasped softly and her eyes widened slightly in surprise at his words. He continued to stare neutrally at her. "You are another person who is..." He halted in his sentence and looked down. "...who I am supposed to know, right?" he whispered softly as he changed what he wanted to say midsentence.

She continued to look at him and nodded slowly. She swallowed slightly and talked to him again. "How did you...?" she asked uncertainly.

He fixed his gaze on her again. His cerulean eyes seemed to deepen even more and she felt herself drown in the large blue pools he called eyes. They continued to stare at each other for a few seconds before his eyes softened and a small smile crept across his face. She felt her heart lift slightly at the sight. Even if it was very small, it was the first time she had seen him smile ever since they had found him.

"I see you in my dreams," he told her softly. She felt a blush creep over her face at his words. She had never expected to hear those words from the blonde teammate who she had once been convinced was an idiot.

The smile slipped off his face and he broke his gaze away from hers again. "I don't know what it means, but so far you've appeared in all of my dreams. You're always there, just out of my reach. You look at me and encourage me to keep going and for some reason, I can't deny you. For some reason, I feel compelled to listen to you," he muttered softly.

She felt her eyes grow blurry slightly as tears filled her eyes. She had thought that he had completely forgotten about her, but now it appeared as if she was still important to him, even though he had lost all of his memories about her. She threw caution to the wind and rushed towards him, slipping her arms around his neck and pulling him into an embrace. She felt his body tense slightly at the contact, but didn't let go. She kept her arms around his neck, softly sobbing tears of relief into his neck.

They remained like that for about half a minute before he gently pushed her away and looked questioningly into her eyes. She released him and wiped the tears in her eyes away before she turned her face away from his. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly. "It's just that, well, you're a very important person to me. I'm just glad that you haven't forgotten about me completely," she softly told him.

A pregnant silence fell between them. She glanced towards his face and noticed that he had once again turned his gaze towards the window. He continued to stare out of the window for a few seconds before he broke the silence. "I'm sorry. I still can't remember much, so..." He left the sentence hanging in the air between them.

She sadly shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Even if you can't remember anything right now, _I _can still remember. I'll do anything I can to help you," she gently told him, but suddenly hesitated. "That is, if you're willing."

He kept his deep cerulean gaze on her. "Why?" he asked her suddenly.

She blinked at his sudden question. "Why what?" she asked confusedly.

He remained silent for a few seconds, his eyes searching hers questioningly. "Why do you want to help me? Both you and that blonde woman: why are you so willing to help me?" he asked her, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Her eyes softened slightly at the question. "Because you are precious to us, Naruto. I know that you cannot remember right now, but you are a very precious person to us. We missed you a lot, baka," she gently told him.

His eyes suddenly widened and his gaze turned distant. She worriedly looked at him and gently touched his shoulder. "Naruto? Are you alright?" she asked him with concern in her voice.

Her touch seemed to break him out of reverie as he suddenly blinked a few times and fixed his gaze on hers again. A slight frown appeared on his face as he stared at her for a few seconds before breaking the silence that had fallen between them again.

"Sakura?"

**_~...~_**

A/N: And that's another chapter! What did you think about it? Was there something you didn't like? What was your favourite part(s)? Are the characters still somewhat in character? Is the story still realistic? Please, I love to hear your comments about this story, so please review!

Also, I'd like to hear your opinions: Should Ino do the mind-walking mentioned in the second scene or should Inoichi do it? Either one is fine for me, but I can't decide!

See you in the next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hi everyone! I'm _incredibly_ sorry for the late update! I had a note on my profile regarding the matter, but I guess not all of you read it. I'm currently busy with exams, so I don't actually have the time to write. This chapter was already halfway written, so I decided to take some time off and complete it. However, don't expect another one until about the end of the month!

That said, please enjoy this chapter!

This chapter is dedicated to Collussess, for entertaining me with the evil muffin and gingerbread man, inspiring me to complete this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Recap:** _Her touch seemed to break him out of reverie as he suddenly blinked a few times and fixed his gaze on hers again. A slight frown appeared on his face as he stared at her for a few seconds before breaking the silence that had fallen between them again._

"_Sakura?"_

**Towards the Light**

Chapter 8

Tsunade sat in her office, signing the piles of paperwork standing on her desk. Normally she managed to procrastinate by doing something different at another part of the village, but she was waiting for somebody, so she had to remain in her office. It was most definitely not her favourite job, but she did it because she knew it was her responsibility to do it sometime or another. She pulled another document towards her and sighed when she noticed the piles of uncompleted work looking no less than it had looked when she had started.

A knock sounded on the door and she eagerly pushed the document away and ordered the person to enter. The door opened to reveal a middle-aged blond man with long hair tied into a ponytail and his forehead protector tied across his forehead, as well as a teenager girl with her blond hair tied into a high ponytail, wearing a purple outfit. They both stepped into the office and bowed in front of the Hokage. Shizune entered behind them and took her customarily place at Tsunade's side.

"You called for us, Hokage-sama?" Inoichi asked the Hokage respectfully. Tsunade leaned back in her chair and formed a tent with her fingers.

"Yes, I did. I am in need of your talents," she told the two blondes in front of her. They both looked respectfully at her and waited for her to continue. She stood up from her chair and moved towards the window, staring out of it at the Hokage faces on the mountain before she addressed the two blondes again.

"I don't know whether you have heard about this yet or not, but we had finally found Uzumaki Naruto," she said solemnly and turned to look at the two shinobi.

Inoichi stared wide-eyed at the Hokage and Ino eagerly took a step closer to the Hokage. "Really? When? Where is he? Why didn't you tell us?" she asked Tsunade eagerly. Tsunade knew that Naruto had been one of Ino's friends before his disappearance, even though they weren't close friends. The news that he had finally been found had to be great news to her.

A sad look flickered across Tsunade's eyes and she turned away from Ino's impatient stare to gaze out of the window again. She knew that the news about Naruto's memory problem would hurt the eager blonde in front of her, but she had to break the news to the Yamanaka. She turned her gaze back towards them again and looked solemnly at them.

"Team Kakashi had found him three days ago at the border between the Country of Fire and the Country of Rice Fields. Apparently, they didn't find him, but he found them. He stumbled into their campsite," she told the two blondes in front of her. Ino calmed down slightly and returned to attention, attentively listening to the Hokage. Inoichi broke the silence that had fallen between them when Tsunade paused to order her thoughts again.

"You want us to confirm that it's really him, don't you?" he respectfully asked the Hokage. Tsunade turned her gaze toward him and sighed softly.

"We have already confirmed that he is indeed Uzumaki Naruto. No, Inoichi, I want you to investigate his mind," she told the elder Yamanaka.

Ino frowned slightly at Tsunade's words. "Why?" she asked confusedly. "If you had already determined that he is indeed Naruto, then why do you want his mind to be investigated?" Tsunade closed her eyes for a few seconds before she turned her gaze towards the younger Yamanaka.

"Because, Ino, something had happened to him and we don't know what. He had lost his memories: all of them. He doesn't even remember his own name," she told Ino solemnly. Ino's eyes widened and she stared desperately at Tsunade, as if she wanted the Hokage to tell her that it wasn't real. Tsunade held her gaze for a few seconds before Ino finally tore her eyes away.

Inoichi's eyes softened slightly at his daughter's depressed state before he turned his attention back towards the Hokage again. "So, you suspect that the cause of his amnesia is psychological and want us to confirm it, is that right, Hokage-sama?" he asked Tsunade.

She fixed her gaze upon Inoichi. "Yes Inoichi, that's exactly why I want you to investigate his mind. I have already confirmed that the cause of his amnesia is not physical, as there is nothing physically wrong with his brain. He has a few strange impulses, but the impulses cannot cause memory loss. That is why I want you to investigate his mind. I also want you to try and search for his memories. We need to know what had happened to him, but we cannot know at the current stage, since he simply doesn't remember. On some subconscious state he does remember, since he says that he sees flashes of images and he also reacts towards certain things," she told Inoichi and took a breath before continuing. "There is only one problem: right now, he doesn't trust anybody. I think he trusts Sakura on a subconscious level and apparently he has decided to trust me as well, but when he first saw me, he made it quite clear that he didn't trust me at all."

She turned her gaze to Ino, who had been listening patiently. "Ino, would you mind stepping outside for a bit? I need to discuss something with your father," she told the blond girl in front of her. Ino bowed respectfully and walked out of the room, leaving Tsunade to talk to Inoichi without Ino's presence.

Tsunade turned to Inoichi again. "That's the reason why I called for Ino as well. You have more experience in this and you know exactly what to look for, but you and Naruto never really knew each other, so I'm not sure whether he will trust you enough for this technique to be utilized at its utmost potential. I've heard that trust is rather important if you want to uncover as much information as possible. That's where your daughter comes in. I know that she doesn't have the experience you do, but it's possible that he could trust her subconsciously, since she was his friend before his disappearance. Therefore, it's possible that she could discover more. What is your opinion about this? Can she do it?" she asked the thoughtful Yamanaka in front of her.

Inoichi's brows pulled slightly together and he subconsciously touched his chin as he contemplated the question. Tsunade waited patiently for a few minutes until he finally raised his eyes again and met her eyes.

"I believe that Ino is capable of doing it, since she had done it a few times under my supervision, but like you said, she is still a bit inexperienced. I believe that it would be better if you allowed me to investigate," he respectfully told the Hokage. "There is also the chance that he won't trust her at all and thus, she won't be able to help. However, I would like to request that Ino is present as well. That way she would be able to help me return to my body should any problems arise. It will also be good experience for her to see a psychological test done the Yamanaka way," he requested respectfully.

Tsunade made a tent with her fingers again and pondered Inoichi's answer. It was what she expected he would answer and to be honest, it was what she preferred as well.

She fixed her gaze on Inoichi again. "Then we will do it that way." She turned her gaze towards Shizune and indicated to her to let Ino come in again. Shizune bowed in acknowledgement of the order and opened the door to let Ino come in. Ino took her place next to her father again and waited patiently.

Tsunade turned her gaze to Ino. "Ino, your father will investigate Naruto's mind in order to obtain the necessary information. You will sit in on this as well; to help your father return to his body should any problems arise. I want the two of you to meet me in two hours' time at the waiting area of the hospital. Are there any questions?" she asked them authoritatively. They both shook their heads. "Then you are dismissed," Tsunade told them.

They both bowed respectfully and left the office. Tsunade stared after them for a few seconds, lost in her own thoughts. "I hope this will work," she muttered softly. She knew the only thing left to do regarding the matter was to wait for the results.

She glanced at the paperwork in front of her before she groaned and stood up. She was _not_ in the mood to deal with piles of paperwork standing on her desk and she wanted to look in on Sakura and the confused blonde again. She shot the piles of paperwork a dirty look and walked towards the door of her office.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune exclaimed angrily and took a step forward. Tsunade turned her gaze towards her assistant.

"What is it, Shizune?" she asked nonchalantly.

"You can't leave now! You still have work to do!" Shizune exclaimed and pointed towards the piles of paperwork.

Tsunade looked at the piles. "I can do it later," she said and left the office. Shizune hurried after her, still trying to convince her mentor to return to the office and complete the paperwork. Tsunade shot an irritated look at her black-haired assistant. "Shizune, it's not as if the paperwork will run away. I'm just going to look in on Naruto and Sakura. I'm sure it won't take the entire day."

Shizune still tried to reason with her mentor. "But Tsunade-sama, in two hours time you have the appointment with Inoichi-san and Ino-chan and after that, you still need to discuss the new budget with the council!"

Tsunade waved the matter away with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Then I'll do it tomorrow," she stated and ignored the rest of Shizune's pleas.

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Sakura stared incredulously with wide eyes at the blonde in front of her. He looked at her with complete recognition and his eyes bore a hint of hope and disbelief. She sat in shocked silence, her mind spinning. Did he really remember her?

They continued to stare at each other for a while until the slight hope in Naruto's eyes started to diminish and slowly disappeared. He dropped his gaze from hers and looked slightly sideways. "I guess not," he murmured softly. His words acted as a trigger to release her from her shocked paralyzed state and she leaned slightly forward.

"No, wait! You're right! You're right, Naruto. I am Sakura. I was just...surprised. I didn't expect you to suddenly remember my name," she told him, her voice turning gentle at the last sentence. He turned his eyes back towards hers again, an unreadable emotion prominent in his eyes and his eyes softened slightly at her words.

"Neither did I," he confessed softly. "It surprised me as much as it did you," he continued.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise at his answer. She had not expected that. Her eyes softened again and she smiled gently, taking his hands in hers. His gaze flitted down and he stared bemusedly at their hands, but he did not try to break free from her touch.

His gaze drifted towards hers when she started to speak again. "At least you're starting to remember." She paused slightly when she felt the hesitation rise in her. She hadn't thought about it, but just because he could remember her name didn't mean that he could remember their bond. It was quite possible that he couldn't remember who she had been to him. She tore her eyes away from his cerulean ones and looked away.

"Do you...know...who I am...to you?" she asked softly with a hint of fear in her voice. She was afraid of his answer: afraid that he wouldn't remember. She continued to look away as a pregnant silence fell between them, but looked at him when he broke the silence. He had turned his gaze to the outside again so she did not know what kind of expression he had on his face.

"You are...my teammate; my...friend," he said and turned his gaze skywards to stare at the ceiling. "You are..." He turned his eyes back to her and a small loving smile appeared on his face. "...also the person I love," he answered her softly. She felt her heart lift at his words. He remembered her. A happy smile crossed her face and she tightened her hands softly around his.

A knock sounded on the door and Sakura turned her gaze to the door to see her shishou enter. Tsunade smiled at them and a curious expression crossed her face when she saw the happy smile on her apprentice's face and the slight smile on the blonde's face. She gently closed the door behind her and looked at them with an expectant expression.

"Did something happen?" she asked curiously. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other for a few seconds before Sakura turned to her shishou.

"He remembers me," she told the blond woman. Tsunade's eyes widened at Sakura's words and she turned her eyes to the blonde sitting on the bed.

"Really?" she sceptically asked him. He calmly met her gaze and nodded. A wide smile slipped onto her face. "That's a relief to hear. It means that you're starting to recover," she happily told the blonde. "How did that happen? Is there anything else you can remember?" she asked him curiously.

He tore his eyes away from hers and stared out of the window again, clearly pondering over her question.

"I'm not sure," he replied softly. "I don't know if the people I see in my dreams are memories or not, but I think they are. Although, even if they are, it wouldn't really matter. I only remember their faces; not their names nor what they're supposed to mean to me."

Tsunade's eyes saddened slightly at his words. "So it's like that," she murmured softly. She raised her voice again to address the blonde. "So how did you remember Sakura? Did it happen gradually or did something trigger the memories to return?" she asked professionally. Naruto pondered her question for a few seconds.

"I think her words triggered it. The moment she called me that it was as if the memories just flooded into my head," he finally answered. Tsunade shot her pink-haired apprentice a suspicious glance before she fixed her attention on the blonde again.

"What did she call you?" she asked him, interested. A faint smile tugged at his face as if the memory replayed itself in his mind.

"Baka," he replied softly. Sakura widened her eyes at his words. The term had just slipped out of her mouth without any thought, as it was the term she had always called him by. Even after she had accepted that he was not the idiot he had seemed to be in the past, she had kept using the term as a playful joke. They had both known that she didn't mean it when she called him that, so it was quite a surprise to her that it was that word that acted as the trigger. Then again, maybe it wasn't that big of a surprise. It was a word that had been common to him and also a part of his daily life, so it was actually understandable that it made him recall her.

"Baka? You remembered her because she called you an idiot?" Tsunade asked incredulously. Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and Sakura felt her heart lift at the familiar gesture. It was the first time he made that gesture ever since they found him.

"Well, yeah. I wonder why that is...?" he replied, his voice soft in contemplation.

"I think," Sakura started to explain to them what she thought, "the reason you remembered is because it's a word that had been common to you before..." Her voice drifted off to silence. She struggled to find the words to explain exactly what he opinion was. "What I'm trying to say is that maybe you remembered, because your mind recognised it since it had been common to you and thus remembered the memories associated with it," Sakura explained. Tsunade thought deeply about it before she agreed with her apprentice.

"That's a very valid reason," she agreed. "It explains why he would remember." Sakura attentively fixed her gaze on Tsunade, but turned it back to Naruto when he spoke again.

"So are you trying to say that all you need to do is say random words to me?" the blond former Jinchuuriki asked incredulously. Tsunade contemplated his question before she answered him.

"I doubt it's going to be that easy, Naruto. There are a lot of aspects we need to look at first before we can be certain," the blond Hokage replied. "We'll know better once we have the results of the test happening this afternoon." Silence fell between them as a look of discouragement slipped onto Naruto's face.

"Is that so?" he muttered softly. Sakura felt her spirits fall slightly at the sight of her teammate's disappointment. He had always been the one to lift her spirits when she had been down in the past, so it was difficult for her to see him so down. She softly placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a slight smile.

"Don't worry: I'm sure everything will turn out fine," she gently told him. He flashed her a small grateful smile and turned his attention back to the blond Hokage.

"So what exactly is going to happen during the test?" he asked her nervously. She gave him a reassuring smile before she explained what would happen. He listened attentively to her until she finished explaining.

"Somebody is going to go into my _mind_?" he asked incredulously, but Sakura could see the hint of panic building up in his eyes. Tsunade sighed at his words before she spoke again.

"Naruto, I don't know what happened to you this past year, but you _have_ to trust me in this. It is the only way we can determine for sure what is wrong with you. I can assure you that you won't be hurt by the person conducting the test and it's really important that you have to trust me," she told him firmly. Doubt flashed across his eyes and he hesitatingly glanced at Sakura for reassurance. She smiled gently at him and nodded her agreement with her shishou's words. He turned his gaze back to Tsunade, his eyes still bearing an apprehensive look.

"How can you be sure that he won't hurt me?" he asked her apprehensively.

Tsunade sighed and gently touched his hand. "Please Naruto, you _have_ to trust me in this," she begged him solemnly. He searched her eyes for any lies and swallowed nervously before he mutely nodded his acceptance. Tsunade smiled at him and gently squeezed his hand before she let his hand go. She stood up to leave, but he interrupted her before she got far.

"Can Sakura...be there during the test?" he asked uncertainly. Both females looked at him in surprise before Tsunade nodded.

"Of course, Naruto. If it makes you feel better, then she's more than welcome to observe," she told the blonde. He smiled hesitantly, but still gratefully at her. She left the room, leaving the two teammates alone.

Silence fell in the room when the blond sannin left the room. Naruto stared out of the window, lost in his own thoughts. Sakura just sat on the bed in silence, gently stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. She didn't know how to break the silence. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, but somehow she felt it wasn't the right time to voice her thoughts.

The blonde sighed and tiredly closed his eyes.

"I'm tired of this," he murmured softly; so softly Sakura almost didn't hear him. Sakura blinked in surprise at his words. His mood change was completely unexpected.

"Tired of what?" she asked him curiously, grateful for the chance to begin a conversation. He leaned back against the bed and shielded his eyes with his arm.

"This. Everything. Not knowing," he replied softly from beneath his arm. Sakura felt her heart clench at his tone of voice. He sounded so...broken; so empty. This wasn't the Naruto she knew. The Naruto she knew would never give up on anything. It tore her heart to see him this broken.

She felt the fury rise slightly in her. If she ever found out who caused the blonde to be this broken, she would definitely have her revenge. Nobody hurt the people close to her without retribution. She would make sure that whoever placed the blonde in this condition would be sorry they ever messed with Konoha. She knew the Hokage would want her revenge as well.

"Don't be so down: I'm sure everything will turn out alright," she gently told the blonde, hoping that she could break him out of his depression. He didn't reply. She could see the hopelessness radiate from him.

A heavy silence fell between them again. She didn't know how to break it: she didn't know how to handle the broken blonde in front of her. He was too different from the teammate she had lost.

The blonde sighed heavily and turned on his side, facing the wall. "I need some time to think," he murmured softly. Sakura's eyes narrowed sadly at his words. She knew that he was struggling with a lot of things right now, but it still hurt in some strange and unfair way to hear him ask her to leave, even if it _was_ phrased differently.

She stood up from the bed. "I'll go then. I'll come back when it's time for the test," she told him softly. Again, he remained silent. She quietly left the room and softly closed the door behind her, thinking about the blonde behind the door.

He wasn't the teammate she grew up with and eventually fell in love with anymore. He wasn't the cheerful friend that always made her feel better when she was down either. He was a broken, empty, hesitant stranger that merely took on the appearance of their lost friend. She didn't know what to do anymore. Her entire world crumbled down when she realised the extent of damage dealt to him. For the first time, she started to doubt whether he would ever return to the person he had been before.

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Naruto stared out of the window, lost in his own thoughts. The voice in his head didn't leave him alone, constantly taunting him about his inability to remember the things precious to him. He was anxious about the upcoming test, but he did not know why he was anxious.

_Maybe it's because you're afraid the test will make you recall your memories, seeing as you're afraid of remembering._ Naruto forced his mind to block the voice out. It was constantly taunting him, trying to make him recall memories he _didn't_ want to recall. Sure, he wanted to remember the people that he had been close to before...

He abruptly forced his thoughts away from that line of thought. The moment he started to think about it, he could feel the emotions well up inside him: fear, anger, hate and many others he didn't know how to handle.

_See? You're afraid. You're only running away. But you know what? You will never be able to escape your past. It is who you are. Don't deny it!_

Naruto drew his knees up to his chest. No matter how he tried, he could not block out the voice. It was as if it revelled in causing him pain.

_Believe me, I don't like doing this, but this is the only way! If you keep denying yourself, before long it will be too late!_

Naruto grabbed his head between his hands. He just wanted the voice to shut up, but it refused to. It continued to demand answers from him he _didn't_ have.

'Shut up. Please, just shut up. Don't make me remember,' he desperately pleaded in his mind. He could feel the disappointment radiate from the voice's presence, but he forced himself to ignore it. He didn't understand it anyway, so why did he need to pay attention to it? He could hear the voice sigh in his mind in frustration.

_Listen to me, if you don't pull yourself together SOON, everything you've worked your entire life for will be for naught. Everything you've ever achieved will be gone, destroyed. Please, listen to me! Remember! Remember who you are! Remember what our freedom cost you!_

Naruto opened his clenched eyes in agonized confusion. The voice just continued to make him more and more confused, but the worst was that he felt compelled to listen to it. It was as if his very heart itself begged him to listen to the voice.

'I don't understand. What do you mean, 'remember what our freedom cost you'? What did it cost? Why would everything be destroyed? _What have I worked my entire life to achieve? _And what did you mean when you previously said that you are me?' he desperately asked the voice in his mind. Nothing made sense anymore. Just when he finally thought everything was turning out to be alright, the voice started to confuse him again. He didn't know what to do anymore.

He could feel the voice sigh in defeat. _I guess it's still too early for you._ He blinked in surprise when he noticed the voice retreat to the back of his mind again, leaving him alone again. However, his surprise was short-lived, seeing as the door decided to open at that moment, revealing a certain busty blond woman. She entered the room with two other blond people towing in behind her and Sakura following them.

Naruto blinked again in surprise at the sight of them. Surely it wasn't time for the test yet, was it? A quick glance at the clock on the wall confirmed that he had lost track of the time for a while. He allowed his eyes to search the faces of the two newcomers. He saw a brief image flit across his mind at the sight of the girl. He suddenly had the thought that he was supposed to know her, but he did not know in what way. The man he couldn't place at all.

Tsunade cleared her throat, causing him to turn his attention back towards her.

"Naruto, this is the person that will perform the test," she said and indicated towards the blond man standing slightly behind her. Naruto blinked at her words and turned his gaze towards the man. He was a normal middle-aged man with greenish blue eyes, blond hair tied into a high ponytail on top of his head and his forehead protector tied on his forehead.

Naruto blinked again in surprise at his thoughts. Forehead protector? He tilted his head in confusion. Didn't he use to have one as well?

"Naruto? Is everything alright?" he heard Sakura ask concernedly. He turned his gaze to her and looked her in the eye, trying to order his confused thoughts. Why did he have the idea that he had a forehead protector as well?

He blinked again before he frowned slightly in confusion. "Didn't I use to have one too?" he asked her in puzzlement. A confused silence suddenly dominated the atmosphere in the room. All of the people stared at him in confusion. The silence reigned for a few more seconds before Sakura finally broke it.

"Uhm, used to have _what_ too?" she asked him, hoping he would clarify the question that was in everybody's minds.

He turned his eyes towards the forehead protector again. Sakura noticed his gaze and followed it, staring at the forehead protector in confusion until she finally seemed to understand.

"Oh! The forehead protector?" She hesitated for a second and glanced at Tsunade for confirmation before she turned back to Naruto. "Yeah, you also have one," she confirmed.

He continued to glance at the forehead protector on the man's forehead. Emotion welled up inside him at the sight of the forehead protector: emotions he didn't know he had. He could also feel the voice inside him experience the same emotions, as well as satisfaction.

'Why are you so satisfied?' he asked the voice in his mind. The voice seemed to ponder the question before it answered him.

_Because you're finally starting to acknowledge who you are._ Naruto's eyes went wide in surprise. Did he really start to listen to the voice?

"...ruto? Naruto, can you hear me? Are you okay?" he suddenly heard a voice say. He blinked once to clear his mind and noticed Tsunade and Sakura look at him in concern. They both relaxed when they noticed him looking back at them.

"What happened there? You just seemed to block everything out," Tsunade asked in concern. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts.

"I'm fine," he declared and turned his attention to the two blondes staring at him in confusion. The girl especially seemed to have a very strange look on her face. "Do I know you?" he asked the man politely. His question caused the atmosphere in the room to turn more solemn again.

"As I was saying, this is Yamanaka Inoichi, the person who is going to perform the test. His daughter is just here to ensure nothing happens to him while he performs the test," Tsunade told Naruto and indicated to the man. Naruto searched the man's face for any signs of falseness before he nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on Inoichi.

He turned his gaze to the blond girl standing next to Inoichi. Another image about her flashed across his mind again: a scene where she leaned against a railing, talking animatedly to him. A slight frown appeared on his face again.

"I think I'm supposed to know you," he softly told the blond girl. A look of surprise flitted across her face and she hesitated for a second before she nodded once. He felt a strange emotion build up in him; once he didn't understand. However, he did understand that he could no longer ignore the flashes, hoping they would go away. He desperately wanted to know what they meant.

_You're finally starting to understand._ He could feel the expectation from the voice, but forced himself to ignore it. Instead, he focused his gaze on Inoichi.

"Let's do this test," he declared determinately.

_~...~_

**A/N:** And that's another chapter! Once again, I'm sorry for the time it took me to update. I've had a really bad case of writer's block during this chapter as well, so I'm not really 100% satisfied with this chapter. However, I believe the writer's block is broken, so hopefully the next chapter will be better.

Also, I want to ask you guys to tell me what questions you have in this story. Seeing as I'm the author, I tend to forget which questions the readers have regarding this story. So if there is anything you want answered, please tell me so that I can be aware of it.

Also, I'm not really sure if I'm using the correct words in certain parts of the story, for example, using 'for' instead of 'to' and so on. So if anybody notice any faults, please tell me so that I can be aware of these errors.

And that's that! See you in the next chapter! And please remember to review!

Random question: Do you have any idea how difficult it is to write something that's supposed to be serious while you're having a discussion about evil cookies and muffins?


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Wow! Reached the 100 review mark! Thank you so much for your support in this story! Other than that, I don't have much to say today. Just...enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!

This chapter is dedicated to Rise Against713 (for being the 100th reviewer) and to || Kairi || (you'll know why at the end of the chapter).

**Warning: **Contains a scene which _might_ be a bit disturbing for people who can't handle blood or gore or something like that. I indicated where, so if you're squeamish, you can just skip that part, even though it's not THAT bad. This fic is rated T, after all, not M.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. I only use it to satisfy my plot-bunnies ^_^.

Again, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I rather enjoyed typing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy reading it as well.

**Towards the Light**

Chapter 9

Inoichi looked at Naruto in silence for a few seconds before he nodded and stepped forward. He inclined his head to Tsunade and Ino, indicating that he was about to start the test.

"Right, let's get on with this," he told Naruto. "I will enter your mind from an observer's point of view. That means I cannot change anything at all. I will be able to observe your memories and such, if it is possible, but I cannot force you into anything you don't want. In order for me to enter your mind and perform the test properly, I will need you to trust me, even if it's only a little. Can you do that?" the elder Yamanaka asked the blonde on the bed.

Naruto hesitated for a few seconds. He could understand Inoichi's point of view, but for some reason he was apprehensive about trusting the man. A part of him (not the voice) was telling him not to do it; telling him that they would only hurt him again. A brief image of the nightmare from the previous night (which he now knew was in reality a memory) flashed across his mind, reminding him of all the emotions he experienced during the nightmare.

He swallowed nervously. "I..." He dropped his voice and turned his eyes away from Inoichi. "I don't know if I can," he whispered softly. He saw a brief glance pass between Tsunade and Inoichi before Inoichi addressed him again.

"I promise I will not hurt you. The test might cause you to relive some of your memories, but, as I said, I am unable to hurt you without your permission. I cannot perform the test if you don't trust me," Inoichi tried to convince him.

Naruto hesitated for another few seconds before he nodded slightly. "I will try," he said softly. That part of him still told him not to do it, but he could feel the voice that was always talking to him encouraging him to continue with it.

Inoichi smiled at him for a brief second in encouragement. "That'll have to do. I'm going to run the test now," he said and waited for Naruto to nod his acceptance. He quickly flashed his hands through some seals and muttered the name of the jutsu under his breath, executing the jutsu. Naruto only had time to barely register the way the blond girl caught her father's body before he felt himself being drawn into his mind. He felt the presence of somebody else trying to enter his mind and immediately reinforced his defences. It was a reflexive action: one he didn't realise he was the doing. The part of him that didn't want to trust anybody desperately fought against his efforts to lower his defences.

A few seconds passed until he felt the presence leave his mind again and return to the room. Inoichi was shaking his head, indicating his failure to enter Naruto's mind.

"It's not working. The moment I enter, he reinforces his defences," Inoichi told Tsunade. Naruto looked away from the others. He truly did want to let this test happen, but he could not force the fearful part of himself that controlled his defences to stand down. It was as if he was completely obedient to that part.

Tsunade pinched her nose bridge in frustration. "So what now?" she asked the Yamanaka tiredly. Inoichi started to speak with Tsunade, but Naruto didn't listen to a word he said. Instead, his attention was firmly fixed on the blond girl. He knew that she confirmed that he once knew her, but the voice in his mind kept asking him how he knew her. For some reason though, the part of him that was hesitant to trust anybody seemed to reach out to her; almost as if it wanted to ask her if it could trust her.

"Naruto, what do you think?" Tsunade's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. He blinked in surprise and turned his attention back to her.

"Huh?" he asked foolishly and shook his head to dispel the last of his lingering thoughts. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. What do I think of what?" he asked her in confusion. She sighed at his inattentiveness and restated her question.

"We were thinking that perhaps she has a better chance than Inoichi, seeing as you knew her previously," Tsunade said and indicated to the blond girl staring at him. "Do you think you'll be able to trust her more than Inoichi?" she asked.

Naruto turned his attention on the girl again. She was looking at him with a neutral expression, waiting for his answer, but he could see the expectation hiding beneath her gaze. Again, that part of him was kind of drawn towards her.

He turned his gaze to Tsunade and nodded slightly. "I think so, yes," he whispered softly. He saw a look of relief cross over the girl's eyes at his confession. Tsunade shared a glance with Inoichi before she also nodded.

"Alright, let us try that. Naruto, would you mind if _she_ performed the test?" she asked him and once again indicated towards the blond girl.

Naruto took a deep breath. "It's fine. Let her try," he told them, but a slight hint of hesitation was still in his voice. The girl smiled at him before she spoke for the first time.

"Well then Naruto, let me try," she said and gave him a reassuring smile. He hesitantly smiled back at her and watched her flash her hands through the seals, flawlessly executing the jutsu. He felt himself being drawn into his mind again, but this time a split second of hesitation from the distrusting part of his mind allowed another presence to slip into his mind, bypassing his defences.

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Ino felt her mind separate from her body, entering her blond friend's mind. She experienced a split second of resistance, but a slight hesitation on Naruto's side allowed her to enter his mind. She opened her eyes and found herself in a dark, sewer-like room filled with water, badly lit by dull reddish lights and corridors that stretched into the deeper reaches of his mind.

She looked apprehensively around her. She was still new to the entire mind investigating thing, so she hadn't entered a lot of minds yet. However, she could definitely say that this was the strangest mind she had ever encountered before.

"Well then, let's get on with this," she muttered softly and tentatively took a step forward. The murky water reflected the dull reddish light, enveloping the entire area in an eerie glow. Her foot landed softly in the water, causing ripples on the surface. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed the strange pattern of the ripples. The ripples all originated from the same point, but diverged into different directions at different speeds.

She frowned slightly as she tried to remember what the ripples meant. Most people have some measure of water in their minds, signalling their emotions, and ripples on the water normally meant acceptance. However, that was only if the ripples were all spaced at equal distances and formed a perfect circle. Strangely enough, none of these ripples formed circles (they were more like ovals) and they all moved at different intervals from one another.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to remember what the ripples meant. _'In the mind, perfect circular ripples indicate acceptance. This acceptance could mean many things, thus would more investigation be necessary before a reliable conclusion can be reached. However, elliptical ripples diverging into different directions indicate rejection. Once again, this rejection could stem from many things. Some of these things could be rejection of the person itself, rejection of the person's memories, rejection of the walker etc." _Ino's eyes shot open when the extract from the book appeared in her mind. She pondered the answer and tried to link it with the ripples in front of her.

Okay, so Naruto's mind was rejecting something. Now the question was: what? What was he rejecting so strongly that it was the most prominent emotion in his mind?

Ino shook her head and took another step forward. She would not get the answers if she remained standing in one place. The ripples remained the same, so she raised her eyes, focusing on the other surroundings. She noticed some cracks on the bottom of the walls, indicating betrayal. She frowned slightly. Betrayal? Who betrayed Naruto so badly that it affected the very foundations of his life?

She started moving into the distance, following the broader corridor. The corridors diverging from the main one were all dark; indicating that nobody had went down them for quite some time. Ino frowned again. To tell the truth, she had no idea why Naruto had corridors in his mind. Most people had single doors set into the walls, indicating a certain event in their lives. She hesitated for a split second before she took one of the unlit corridors, following it until she reached the end where it was blocked by a wall. She blinked in surprise at the sight. It looked like there had been a door once, but for some reason or another it was walled up. She frowned at the sight. She had never heard about a mind that had walled up doors. She gently touched it; it was cold to her touch, but that was all it was. It was just a plain stone wall.

She returned to the main corridor, following it into the deeper recesses of her blond friend's mind. Maybe she would get some answers further in. She followed the corridor for a while until a flicker in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned slightly towards it, her eyes widening slightly when she noticed a single light shining dully in one of the diverging corridors.

She frowned slightly at the sight. What made this corridor different from all the others? She hesitantly entered the corridor, following it until the end. It was still blocked by a wall, but there were several cracks in the wall and small pieces of it were missing. She cautiously touched the wall and gasped when images suddenly flooded through her head...

_A blond teenager boy lies on the floor, lying in the middle of a puddle of his own blood. His eyes stare dully into the distance, but the glasslike sheen in them makes it clear that he is seeing nothing. The feeling of despair, anguish and agony hangs heavily in the air, feeling almost palpable. He continues to gaze at the cold stone floor in front of him._

_The iron door leading into the room suddenly shoots open, allowing a wan ray of candlelight to enter the room, but the person on the floor does not look up. In fact, he appears completely oblivious to the fact that something has changed in his surroundings. The glassy look in his eyes remains fixed on the floor._

_A large man steps into the cell and takes a handful of bloodstained blond hair in his fist, lifting it up to look the attached person in the eye, but said person still has no reaction. The glassy look in his eyes hasn't changed in the slightest bit. The large man scowls at the blonde before he heavily throws him onto the floor._

"_Tch, useless crap. I can't see what Orochimaru-sama sees in this...thing," the man mutters under his breath. A woman standing outside the cell clears her throat at the man and picks the immobile blonde up from the floor by the scruff of his neck._

"_We're not here to discuss Orochimaru-sama's objectives, Yoru. We're here to retrieve the subject and deliver him to Orochimaru-sama. That's all," she told the large man. Yoru spits on the floor before he takes the blonde from the woman and hoists him up on his shoulder._

"_I just think he's a waste of time. But who am I to decide, huh?" he asks scornfully. The woman makes a non-committal grunt and leaves the room with Yoru. They walk through the scantily lit corridors for a while before they reach another room. They enter the room and respectfully bow towards the snakelike man standing in the room before Yoru throws his burden on a table standing in the middle of the room and binds the blonde onto the table, making sure he can't move._

"_We have brought you the subject, Orochimaru-sama," the woman tells him respectfully. Orochimaru dismisses them with a wave before he walks towards the blonde lying immobile on the table. A predatory grin slips onto his face as he nears the blonde with a gleaming scalpel in his hand._

"_Well then, Naruto-kun, let's see it you can withstand THIS," he says menacingly and lowers the scalpel with an insane look on his face. __**(WARNING: THE GORY PART STARTS HERE)**__ The scalpel cuts deeply into the blonde's skin, finally receiving a reaction from him. Fresh blood wells up from the cut, building up until it slides down the blonde's stomach and lands on the steel table he is lying on; pooling up underneath him. The glassy look in his eyes has disappeared the moment the scalpel bit into his skin, replaced by a look of utter pain. He bites tightly on his teeth, trying to withstand the pain, but he refuses to make a sound. The scientist doesn't even spare him a single look before he makes another cut in the blonde's stomach. __**(GORY PART ENDS HERE) **__The blonde tightly clenches his teeth and eyelids, trying to withstand the pain. A single tear slides from the corner of his eye, but still he refuses to allow any sound to slip across his lips..._

Ino gasped at the images and quickly pulled her hand away from the wall. She immediately knew that the images indicated a memory, but it had definitely been one of the worst memories she had ever seen. She took a few steps backwards and heavily sat down on the floor, trying to settle her stomach. She did not even notice the murky water flowing around her, seeing as her thoughts were fixed on the image she had just seen.

She remained sitting for a few minutes, trying to calm down and control her breathing. It was horrible to think that Naruto had to go through that ordeal, but there was nothing she could do about it. What happened in the past cannot be altered, after all. However, she now had enough evidence to warrant a guess as to why his memories were sealed off. If all of his memories from the time he was missing were _this_ bad, it would only be understandable that his memories were suppressed. It was also shocking to see that it was _Orochimaru _who caused her friend to go through so much pain. Ino's fist clenched angrily at the thought. Hadn't the snake caused the blonde (and the entire village, for that matter) enough pain already?

Her breathing finally settled down and she stood up again, walking shakily back to the main corridor. She had known that her blond friend would have bad memories, but she had never expected it to be _this_ bad. The memory had shaken her up badly and she had only seen it from an observer's point of view. The jutsu she had preformed had a security measure build in it to prevent damage to the user from the receiver. If her jutsu had not had that security measure, she would have been forced to experience the memory firsthand. She didn't think she would've been able to handle that.

She took a deep breath and continued down the corridor, her eyes fixed once more on her surroundings. She passed by a couple of dimly lit corridors, but she was too shaken by her experience with that one broken door to investigate those corridors. She continued walking in silence for a few minutes until another corridor caught the corner of her eye.

This corridor was different from the others in that it was brightly lit. The other corridors were all dimly lit with only one dull reddish light, but this one had many lights set into the walls. The lights were still dull, but the amount of lights present allowed the corridor to be brightly lit. She waited hesitantly in front of the corridor, pondering whether she should investigate it or not. She did _not_ want another repeat of the previous corridor.

She stood at the entrance of the corridor for a few minutes before she steeled herself and went down it. She reached the end of the corridor and her eyebrows rose when she noticed the end of it. It was blocked by a heavy steel door: just that. There was no wall in front it, nor was there any sign that a wall had once been in front of it previously.

The door was bright silver, reflecting the reddish light onto the walls. It was a wide inviting door, begging people to enter it. Ino stared at in confusion for a minute. What made this corridor so different from the others? For that matter, why was there (as there was _supposed_ to be) a door instead of a wall? She glared at the door in frustration. The more she was Naruto's mind, the less it made sense. She took a deep breath and hesitantly laid her hand against the door, trying to find out why this door was different. Images flooded into her head again and she steeled herself, readying herself for enduring the images...

_A young girl of about sixteen years walks in a street, carrying some packets in her arms. Her short pink hair sways slightly in her neck with every step she takes. Several people greet her while she walks and she greets them back with a smile on her face. She walks down the street with a broad smile on her face while softly humming a well-known melody._

"_Sakura!" A blond boy about the same age as the girl waves at her with a broad smile on his face. The girl turned around at his voice and her smile grew when she noticed him. She halts in front of a store and waits patiently for the blonde to reach her. He jogs towards her and her eyes soften slightly when he finally reaches her._

"_Hello, Naruto. Long time no see. When did you return from your mission?" she asks the blond happily, the smile never leaving her face. It is quite clear to any observers that she is happy to see the blonde. The smile on Naruto's face widens even more at her question._

"_Just now! The mission took longer than it was supposed to, but luckily there were no other complications. We just arrived about five minutes ago," he tells her cheerfully. Sakura starts to walk again and Naruto accompanies her, walking backwards so that he can keep his eyes on her face. "I wanted to see you as soon as possible, so I immediately tried to find you," he continues, his voice still cheerful._

_Sakura's eyes soften at his words and she slips a small piece of pink hair behind her left ear. She listens contently to the retelling of his mission, laughing at certain parts and showing appropriate responses at other parts. She looks almost ethereal in her beauty, her happiness lighting up her entire face. She halts in her walk when he finishes his story and looks at him with warm eyes._

"_I'm really glad you're back, Naruto," she tells with a sincere look in her eyes. It is obvious to any observer that she truly means it. "It's just not the same without you here. And I...I missed you," she confesses almost shyly. A faint trace of a blush appears on her cheeks. The small blush reflects itself on Naruto's cheeks and he rubs the back of his head embarrassedly before his eyes soften. He gently lays his hand on Sakura's cheek and lovingly caresses it. She leans slightly into his hand and smiles warmly at him..._

Ino pulled her hand away from the wall and stared contemplatively at the wall. The Hokage had told her that Naruto remembered Sakura, so the memory wasn't exactly a surprise to her. Still, she felt as if she intruded upon a personal moment between Naruto and Sakura. It felt _wrong_ to continue watching those memories and they weren't necessary for this test, so she turned around and returned to the main corridor. At least she knew he had _some_ pleasant memories.

She followed the main corridor for a while until she reached the end, where it opened up into darkness. She took a deep breath and hesitantly entered the darkness, gasping when she noticed the large chamber she had entered. It was also dimly lit by a dull reddish light, but the chamber was so large that she couldn't see where the light originated from. In front of her, somewhat into the distance, were the broken remains of a large cage. The bars had been forced open and many pieces of the iron lied on the floor in the murky water, dully reflecting the reddish light. One of the doors hung on one broken hinge, looking like the merest touch would send it down to meet with the floor.

Ino stared at the cage in awe. She had known that Naruto had been the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, but she had never thought much about it. It had just been another peculiarity about Naruto. Now, however, for the very first time, she started to wonder how Naruto's life must have been; being forced to share his mind with a demon.

She hesitantly took a step closer to the cage, never taking her eyes off it. The sound of her feet landing softly in the water echoed softly through the chamber, but she paid it no heed. Her entire attention was fixed on the broken cage in front of her.

She reached the cage and stared at it in awe. Even though it was broken, it was still able to send her into silent amazement. It was both majestic and horrible: majestic to think that it could've hold the strongest of demons at bay and horrible to think that it had done just so. For the first time, Ino started to realise what it had to mean to be a jinchuuriki. She reached out hesitantly with her hand towards the bars, wondering how it felt.

"Don't touch it," a voice suddenly said neutrally. She gasped in surprise and swung around, trying to see who had spoken. Her eyes widened when she recognized the blond figure leaning casually against a wall, staring at her with a neutral expression. She turned her body slightly towards him and took a small step backwards.

"N-Naruto?" she asked hesitantly, but her mind denied it at the same time. She knew that her jutsu prevented her from meeting with the receiver of the jutsu while she was in said receiver's mind. It had something to do with the fact that most people would be unable to handle it if they had to share a mind with someone else, even if it was only for a small while.

The figure ignored her words and calmly walked towards the cage. He gently laid a hand against one of the broken bars, staring at it with a pensive expression on his face. Ino started to fidget slightly when he remained silent. She was not used to being ignored.

"Even though the furball is no longer in here, it doesn't mean that it is safe to touch," he suddenly broke the silence, referring to the cage that Ino had tried to touch a few seconds ago. Ino blinked in surprise. He had completely ignored her question. "The remnants of his chakra are still surging through it," he continued and turned his gaze towards hers. "Demonic chakra _is_ dangerous to normal people, you know," he pointed out to her. She blinked in surprise again and opened her mouth to demand an answer to her question, but his words suddenly registered in her mind.

"...his chakra? Whose?" she asked with a slight frown on her face. He continued to look calmly at her for a few seconds before he turned his gaze towards the broken bars again, staring contemplatively at it.

"_His._ The furball's," he replied calmly and turned his gaze on her again. "You'd know him better as the Kyuubi."

Ino's eyes widened again and she took another step backwards, unconsciously creating distance between her and the empty cage, as well as between her and the figure. She had known that the Kyuubi had been held prisoner inside the cage, but it was different to hear it being confirmed. It was...frightening. She pointed towards the figure and opened her mouth to say something, but to her horror she could not force out even one word.

He continued to look neutrally at her for a few seconds before his trademark grin slipped onto his face and he started to chuckle. She could read the amusement in his eyes; sending her even deeper into confusion.

"Calm down, Ino. You should see your face," he told her, still grinning. She looked at him in surprise and felt her mouth open slightly in surprise. She was completely confused by the events. People were not _supposed_ to be in their minds during an investigation performed by a Yamanaka. They were not _supposed_ to make _jokes_ in their minds either! She stared at him for a few seconds before she broke the pregnant silence that was hanging between them.

"Okay, who are you and what are you doing in here?" she demanded from the-person-who-appeared-to-be-Naruto-but-could-not-possibly-be-him. He lifted an eyebrow at her words and walked towards her until he was only a few metres away from her.

"...you don't know who I am? I'm hurt. And here I thought we were friends," he told her with a cheeky grin on his face. He observed her face for a few seconds and sighed when he noticed that she was still staring suspiciously at him. A serious expression replaced the mirth on his face. "I am who you think I am. I am Naruto," he told her solemnly. She stared suspiciously at him, not really sure if she could trust his words or not.

"How can I be sure of that? You're not supposed to BE here," she told him with suspicion in her voice. Everything he said made sense, but she _knew_ it was not possible.

A small grin appeared on his face. "Since when had I obeyed rules?" he asked her pertly. She blinked at his words. It was just like he said: he had never followed rules and traditions. It was one of the things that had earned him his nickname of Konoha's Number One Surprising Ninja. She took a deep breath and silently regarded him.

"That still doesn't explain what you're doing here," she pointed out. "Besides, how can this be possible? I thought you didn't remember me," she told him suspiciously. He was acting too much like Naruto to be someone else, but something was definitely suspicious.

A disgusted expression slipped onto his face. "Don't compare me with that idiot out there," he told her disgustedly. "The one out there is just an idiot who refuses to face reality," he spat out vehemently.

Ino blinked in surprise. What the hell was going on here? First, she met someone who claimed to be Naruto, even though she knew it was not supposed to be possible. Then, that person contradicted himself by saying he wasn't Naruto! Just WHAT in the world was going on? She had thought that this would be a routine procedure: perform the test, investigate the mind, end the jutsu, report to her father and the Hokage and wait for the results. This was anything BUT normal procedure. The only other person she had ever met before that had another presence in her mind was Sakura, but that was during an entirely different jutsu, so it was not that surprising. _This_ jutsu, however, were supposed to ensure no other presences were present! It was _supposed_ to be _only_ her! She grabbed her head between her hands. She was definitely starting to get a headache.

"Mou(1)!" she exclaimed in frustration. "Just _what_ the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" she demanded in frustration, not really expecting an answer. A snort from the-figure-who-claimed-to-be-Naruto-but-claimed-he-wasn't-Naruto-at-the-same-time drew her attention towards him again. He stared at her with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression on his face.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her with a tone of amusement in his voice. She stared at him with a look of irritation on her face.

"How in the world am I supposed to figure out what's going on here? How can you both be Naruto and not Naruto at the same time?" she demanded from him. He smiled sadly at her and turned his gaze towards the bars again, the pensive look slipping back onto his face.

"You misunderstood me. I never said I'm not Naruto. I said the one out there is...you know what? I think I should start at the complete beginning. I'm only going to confuse you if I start in the middle of the story," he told her and turned his attention back towards her. "Do you want to hear it?"

She regarded him silently for a few seconds before she hesitantly inclined her head. If what he said was true, this was going to be one of _the_ strangest stories she had ever heard. A melancholic smile slipped onto his face at her nod, as if he was lost in the past. A pregnant silence fell between them for a few minutes until he finally broke it.

"It all started when I received that mission from Tsunade-baasan..."

_~...end of chapter...~_

A/N: Uhm, would that be classified as a cliffhanger? I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, as usual, I'd like to hear your thoughts about the chapter. Was it too confusing? Were the flashbacks acceptable? Also, remember to tell me ANY questions you might have, so that I could be aware of it and insert it in the story. Also, I'm sorry if Naruto appears slightly OOC.

This chapter is dedicated to || Kairi || for giving me the perfect solution to the Ino/Inoichi problem! Thank you!

To chibi fox: No, this story will NOT evolve into a NaruIno fic. Ino is (and will be) only a friend in this fic. I'm sorry if I implied otherwise. I had a bit of a difficult time in writing that specific scene.

(1): An expression used when frustrated.

Please remember to review!


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